Starcademy Series
by Queen Azura
Summary: The Christa's journey is over and the cases are once again at Starcademy. The Casers, along with some new friends, enjoy many adventures as they train to become StarDogs.
1. Invasion of the Spung

INVASION OF THE SPUNG

Radu, Harlan and Commander Goddard ran. Behind them, firing shot after shot, was Warlord Shank. Radu could hear his lizard feet slapping the ground and even the sound of his blaster charging up for another shot. His own thoughts were dominated by his intense fear for the lizard-like race.

The rounded a corner and Radu felt his breathing catch up to him as his heart pounded in his chest. All Andromedans had excellent endurance and it clearly puzzled him that he was breathing so hard. Behind them, Shank fired another shot.

The ceiling made a strange clinking noise and Radu looked up. Rows of spikes were falling towards him and his two companions. As they fell, Radu thought that his young life was about to come to an end. The spikes drew nearer . . . 

**********

Radu awoke with a start, sitting up straight in bed. It took him only a moment to realize that the spikes of his dream were just that - a dream. He took a deep, shaky breath and looked around the room. 

On either side of the large room were row upon row of bunk beds, each with their own drawn curtain to give privacy to the cadet inside. Radu noticed that his own curtain was open and tried to think back to whether or not he had closed it. Above him, cadet Paul turned in his sleep and muttered something about his family. Radu took a final breath to steady himself and rose out of bed.

It had been almost three weeks since a UPP space ship had found the Christa. They had returned to the Starcademy via a nearby wormhole and were just beginning to settle into their old routines. About a week ago, they had bid a fond farewell to Suzee, who had discovered a way to bring Catalina back using the Starcademy's research and development lab - a class the Andromedan was still failing. Commander Goddard had been reassigned as a teacher for another two years as punishment for 'allowing' the space cases to sneak on the Christa three years before. In light of her excellent work with maintaining the student's work, Ms Davenport had been given a teaching assignment as well, although it was far below her former status as vice principal.

Radu drank some water and looked at himself in the mirror. He had friends now, but the vast majority of the Starcademy still regarded him as foreign. They had drawn straws to see who would share a bunk with him and as he watched them do it, he wished that Bova or Harlan were in his bunkroom.

Radu quietly returned to his bunk and drew the curtain. He looked over at his clocked and saw that in only two hours he would have to rise once more and report to breakfast - the one time all the space cases were together. At that thought, he smiled and fell asleep.

**********

"Radu! Over here!" Catalina's voice rang out over the crowd.

"She doesn't have to yell," Radu thought to himself as he made his way over. "I could have picked up her whisper through this crowd."

Radu slid into a seat next to Rosie and across from Harlan. Catalina sat next to Harlan and Bova next to Rosie. Radu carefully tuned out the rest of the noise to a dull roar so he could fully concentrated on their conversation without hearing the catcall from the other students.

Catalina smiled at him and began her usual long narration about how rotten the food was. Radu watched her speak and thought about how lucky Harlan was to have her for a girlfriend. After living on Yensid for so long, Catalina had adapted their hairstyle instead of the short, circular style she had worn before. Her hair was down to her shoulders and streaked with colours almost like Suzee's had been. She had gotten taller and much thinner and more muscular than before, but was still the same Catalina inside.

"No, Suzee, I will not tell that to him!" Catalina said, suddenly braking off her narration.

"What did she say?" Harlan asked.

Catalina's face grew sadder. "Suzee said that the people two tables back are making fun of Radu by putting halves of circular bread on their ears."

Radu listened without turning and soon heard the group Suzee had mentioned. 

"Oh, help me! I'm an Andromedan who can't take care of myself! I need the Spung to look after me! Oh, help!" one sneered.

Radu felt his blood boil. Harlan reached over the table to put a hand on his. Radu closed his eyes for a moment and counted to ten. Once he was his usual calm self again.

"Ignore them," Catalina told him. "They're morons."

"Don't worry about it, Radu," Rosie comforted. "They just need to get to know you."

The bell rang at that point to indicated it was time for their first class. The space cases split up and Radu found himself walking in front of the group that had been teasing him. They continued as they headed to their classes. Radu tried to follow Catalina's advice, but it was difficult when you had such acute hearing. Radu was thankful when they headed down a different corridor than him.

**********

"Attack the team that has the ball and the UPP will surely fall," Elmira said in a trance like state.

Warlord Shank hissed in appreciation. 

"For this to pass as I have told, there is one thing you must hold. The race that once was your slave must once again come to your aid," she finished.

Elmira blinked and looked at her father in hatred. Warlord Shank did not say a single word to her, but rose and left the room. When he was gone, Elmira walked over to the audio recorder she had deliberately placed there and listened to the whole telling. Her mouth dropped when she heard the prophecy. 

"Radu . . . " she whispered.

**********

Radu and his friends sat in the biosphere. Rosie was feeding squirrels leftovers from lunch while Catalina and Suzee helped Radu with his homework. Harlan was practicing his karate moves and Bova was asleep under a tree.

Harlan stopped to catch his breath and sat down next to Cat. 

"I wonder where Thelma and the Christa are now?" he mused.

"Probably off seeking another crew," Radu answered.

"Maybe Thelma found out how to get back to wherever the Christa came from," Rosie suggested.

"Or they were blown out of space the moment we left," Bova added with a yawn.

The group was silent after Bova's casually gloomy remark. The thought of Thelma and the Christa being space dust was too real to be funny. Radu set to work on another problem when a courier came up.

"Radu 386 of Andromeda?" he asked.

Radu nodded. The man gave him a compupad and left. Radu pushed a few buttons to decrypt the message and read. 

"386?" Catalina asked.

"Y - yeah," Radu said distractedly. "I was the 386th egg hatched of the cycle and named after an Andromedan who had died in the war."

Radu turned his attention back to the message. After a few more minutes, he lifted his head and the pad slipped out of his limp fingers to the ground. Harlan picked it up and read the message.

"'Radu 386 is hereby ordered by the government of Free Andromeda to return and serve in the Andromedan Army against the Spung.'" Harlan said out loud.

"You've been conscripted?" Catalina exclaimed.

Radu could only nod. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Harlan asked.

"Yeah . . . I'm fine," Radu said in a broken voice. "I just never thought they'd want me back again."

"What do you mean?" Rosie asked, leaving the squirrels.

"Well . . . the reason I was chosen to come to the Starcademy was because I was an individual and had ideas. Andromedans are very set in their ways and don't like it when a member of the race has ideas that are different from the groups," Radu explained.

"Attention, attention all students report to the viewing chambers for a special announcement from Admiral Cody," a voice said over the loudspeaker.

"We'd better go," Catalina said, rising slowly.

Radu took the compupad from Harlan and effortlessly squeezed it into a ball.

**********

"The Spung Empire has declared war on the UPP by attacking Andromeda," Admiral Cody announced. "As upcoming Stardogs, the older students have been drafted into the army. It will take all the manpower we've got to stop this war, even with the Andromedans on our side. Please report to your bunk rooms for assignments. That is all."

As the students were preparing to leave, one of the principal's aides tapped Radu on the shoulder and motioned for the Andromedan to follow him. Radu waved good bye to his friends and left.

Principal Ravenshire was an elderly woman with green hair that rose into two mounds on either side of her head. She was seated behind a large desk that made her seem very tiny. Radu was lead in and left standing in front of the principal.

"Radu 386, your planet has no doubt informed you that you are needed?" she asked.

Radu felt himself blush. "Y - Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I have arranged for a transport to take you to Andromeda immediatly. Please gather anything you'll need and go to docking port E," Ravenshire ordered.

Radu nodded and turned to leave.

"One other thing," Ravenshire called. 

Radu turned back to face her.

"Good luck and come back safely."

  
**********

Radu walked quickly to his bunk. He knew exactly what he needed and that bag had been packed since he got here. He walked into the room and saw that the curtain to his bed had been closed and on it was painted in large letters:

FIGHT YOUR OWN WAR, ANDROMEDAN!

Radu was taken aback and was almost afraid to open the curtain. He did and jumped back when he saw a doll dressed like a Spung lying on his bed with a blaster pointed at him. 

Around Radu, the other students began to laugh. They laughed loud and hard until Radu's head was spinning as he tried to filter it out. He grabbed his bag and tried to get out of the room. Several students blocked the way. Radu's head was throbbing now as he picked up one of the blocking students, lifted him a few centimeters off the ground and moved him out of the way. He ran down the hall, leaving the hateful students behind him.

**********

"There he goes!" Rosie said, pointing out the window to a transport lifting off.

"I can't believe he didn't come and say goodbye to us," Harlan stormed.

"The principal probably didn't give him enough time," Catalina told him. "What was your assignment?"

Harlan held up the compupad. "Army."

"Me, too," Catalina said.

"I'm in research and development," Bova said. "But, I still have to be where the fighting is."

"I was put in the medical regiment," Rosie told them. "And I think my dad will be there, too!"

"That's great, Rosie! Hopefully we won't see you at all," Bova said.

Rosie's cheerful face clouded over.

"Not that we don't want to see you," Bova amended. "It's just that in order to see you, we'll have to get hurt."

Rosie cheered up. She was about to say something when the loudspeaker came on.

"Attention, attention, all students report to their assigned areas."

Rosie gave Bova a big hug goodbye and left the room. Bova stared after her.

"For the first time in my life," he said, "I feel good!"

Harlan and Cat laughed as they followed him out of the room and down to the transport to take them to the barracks.

**********

Harlan sat across from Catalina. After weeks of intense training, they were heading to Andromeda to fight the Spung. The regiment of which Harlan, Catalina, and Bova were part of was lead by Commander Goddard and called StarDog one. The transport landed with a thud.

"Okay, team," Goddard said. "This isn't a training exercise or a holo-game back home. This is real. Remember everything you've been taught and never doubt your instincts. We're right at the front between the Spung and the Andromedans so watch out!"

The door opened and the team slid quietly out into the darkness of the Andromedan night. Goddard lead them through mud and water to behind a thick duraplast wall that would protect them from advancing fire. They were told to sleep and rest for the battle the next day.

**********

The Spung attack came just after sunrise. Harlan and Bova were at the top of the wall, shooting the lizard creatures with blaster and antennae. Bova had brought with him a battery pack that was capable of keeping him charged for weeks. He knew that if that failed, all he would have to do was get hit by an electrical blast and he would be fine. 

Catalina was lying on her stomach at the base of the wall with her blaster pointed at the advancing Spung. To her right was an Andromedan encampment and she noticed out of the corner of her eye they worked in rigid formation without pausing to think whether or not the formation would work. A large group of Spung came charging at the wall and Catalina took a deep breath. She screamed, knocking all the Spung back and messing up the inner workings of their blasters. She took them out, one by one with militant ease. A cry made her look up and she saw one of the soldiers from Starcademy fall. Goddard pointed to her and she moved up to take the dead man's place. The fight continued.

The Spung finally retreated to regroup and Harlan sank down to rest. Catalina handed him her water canteen and he drank thirstily. Bova remained on top of the wall as a look out. 

"Hey, guys!" he said tapping Harlan on the head.

"What is it?" Harlan demanded.

"I think I see Radu!" 

Harlan and Cat returned to their former positions as the Spung attacked the Andromedan outpost to their right. Bova was pointing to an Andromedan who had broken out of the formation and was shooting a Spung who had gotten information about their defenses. The Spung fell and the Andromedan got back into formation.

"That's Radu all right," Harlan laughed.

The Spung continued to attack and Radu battled them fiercely. He was faced on two sides and, as he killed on Spung, the other Spung shot him. He fell to the ground.

"Grozit!" Catalina exclaimed.

"Wait! The Spung is picking Radu up," Harlan said.

The Spung that had shot Radu picked him up and brought him to the Killcruiser that had landed nearby. The space cases looked around the field and saw that other Andromedans were being carried off by the Spung as well.

"I wonder what they're up to," Goddard thought out loud.

**********

Catalina, Harlan and Bova were relieved of duty for a few days after weeks of fighting. Of the thirty people in their regiment, there were only about twenty left. Commander Goddard saw each of the losses as his fault and became withdrawn. It was evident, however, that the three space cases in his company were clearly his favourites. 

The Saturnian, Earther, and Uranusian walked down the streets of Andromeda's capital city. They were impressed by the cleanliness of the streets and buildings as well as the lack of pollution. Everywhere they went, they were greeted warmly because of their StarDog cadet uniforms.

"It kinda makes you feel guilty for treating Andromedans so bad, doesn't it Harlan?" Catalina whispered.

"Be quiet, Rainbow Head," Harlan laughed. The nickname that had once been used as an insult had become a term on endearment.

"What's going on over there?" Bova wondered, pointing to a crowd.

The three soldiers rushed over to see. A crowd of Andromedans and a few cadets were watching the Andromedan police struggle with an elusive captive. Harlan tapped a cadet on the shoulder and she turned. 

It was a Neptunian. The girl was fairly tall and thin with aquamarine skin, green eyes and dark blue hair. The Neptunians had developed gills after Earth had flooded the planet with the excess water after the polar ice caps had begun to melt. The colonists of Neptune had been literally forced to sink or swim - and most swam. 

"Yes?" she asked in a liquid voice.

"What's going on?" Harlan asked, indicating the struggle with a tilt of his head.

"The police are arresting a Spung spy," the Neptunian said. 

"Why would any Andromedan want to spy for the Spung?" Catalina asked.

A Mercurian who was standing near them turned to join into the conversation. He was as tall as Harlan, with Rosie's pink skin, bald head and blue eyes.

"He's been brain washed," the Mercurian informed them. "The Spung somehow developed a method for erasing someone's brain and they're capturing Andromedans to use as super soldiers."

"That's ridiculous," the Neptunian snapped. "There isn't a race in this galaxy that has that kind of technology."

Catalina's eyes crew wide at the mention of brain washing. She remembered too clearly her encounter with the Luff and their mind wiping technology.

"Did the Spung wipe out the Luff?" she whispered to Harlan.

"If they did, someone should inform the Andromedan authorities," Harlan replied.

"I'm hungry," Bova complained. "Does anyone want to check out the Andromedan cuisine?"

"Bova, we just ate," Cat stated.

"That was over an hour ago," Bova insisted.

"I'm kind of hungry," the Neptunian girl said. "I'll go with you guys."

"Me too," the Mercurian added.

"Great, let's go," Bova lead the way back down the street.

**********

It turned out that Clito, the Neptunian and Mattar, the Mercurian were in the same company as the space cases. They all reported for duty early the next morning where Catalina and Harlan took Goddard aside.

"We received reports of Andromedans turning against each other this morning," Goddard agreed. "It seems they shoot them with tranquilizers or light electrocution before bringing them to their ship where they're mind wiped."

"We have to warn them!" Harlan exclaimed. 

"The Andromedan government knows, but nothing can be done. No one knows how to reverse a mind wipe. Our orders are to kill any threatening Andromedans," Goddard said sadly.

Both Harlan and Catalina were subdued. They returned to their posts with heavy hearts. They had seen Radu be captured and they now knew that they may soon be forced to kill him.

"Why so glum?" Matt asked. 

Harlan related the entire meeting with Commander Goddard.

"Bummer," Bova commented.

"Is that all you can say?" Catalina exploded. "Radu may be killed. Remember the times on the Christa? We can't just sit here and let that happen!"

"What can we do?" Clito asked.

"I'll tell you what we can do," Harlan said with a twinkle in his eye.

**********

The sun had already set over Andromeda's war torn landscape. On both sides, soldiers were getting ready for well deserved sleep. Sentinels were placed to watch the other side, food was served, and lights turned out. In this darkness, five shadows crept out of their encampment.

Three smaller shapes followed the two larger ones. One of the leading shapes was glowing and features could be faintly seen. The figure was immediatly recognizable as Mercurian.

"We're near the ship," a smaller figure said. "Turn out that light or we'll get shot."

The light was extinguished. The shapes continued up the open ramp and into the slumbering ship.

**********

Inside the Spung Killcruiser, Harlan pushed 'his' team into a dark corridor as two armed guards marched by. He put a finger to his mouth to indicate silence and tip toed back into the hall. They had obtained a map from Goddard's tent before heading out. The Andromedan government had given a basic floor plan of the invading ship to all leaders of the army in case of capture. It had been retrieved from the first Spung war when the Andromedans had been forced to fight against the UPP. Harlan now pulled it out of his pocket. Matt shone a dim light so it could be read.

"All right," Harlan whispered. "According to this, prisoners are kept one level down and three doors in. There should be a ventilation system running just down this corridor that we can crawl through to get down. After that, it's just a matter of finding Radu and getting out."

"You make it sound so simple," Catalina whispered sarcastically.

"Let's go," Clito pushed the two bickering friends down the hall as Matt blew out his light. 

In no time, they were in the ventilation pipes, crawling down to the detention centre.

**********

Elmira sat in her room, brushing her hair. She heard a muffled thunk from inside one of the tubes that ran through the ceiling of her room. Curious as always, she stood on a chair and peered through the vent. She saw a leg pass just out of view with a hand following it. As the hand moved, she recognized Catalina's face who stared back.

"Elmira!" she mouthed.

"What are you doing?" Elmira asked quietly.

"Is everything all right, Sirrola?" the guard from outside the door asked.

"Quite," Elmira answered.

"Rescuing the Andromedan prisoners," Cat replied.

"You will be killed!" Elmira protested. "Go back!"  
"They have Radu and he's going to be mind wiped."

Elmira was taken aback. She shook her head in frustration and waved for Catalina to continue.

"I'll do what I can," Elmira promised.

"Sirrola?" the guard asked again.

Elmira got down off the chair and tapped her brush against her table every time the intruders above her made a sound. The guard came in, saw that nothing was amiss, and closed the door again.

"Good luck," Elmira whispered.

**********

Harlan stuck his head out of the tube. He was hanging upside down from the ceiling with Bova and Matt holding onto his feet as he checked for guards. Not seeing any, he withdrew his head and stuck his feet down. He dropped to the ground soundlessly and helped the others descend. They all made it without alerting any guards.

"How do we find him?" Bova asked. 

They had retreated to the safety of an alcove in the wall. Three guards passed, spoke briefly to each other and continued on their way.

"Wait here," Clito said. "I shall find your friend."

Before anyone could ask how, Clito melted into a pool of liquid and slithered out into the hall. The others watched with astonishment in their eyes. A few minutes later, the puddle reappeared and formed into Clito.

"The Andromedan you are looking for is in cell block 399B, only a few doors down. He is scheduled for a mind wipe in about three minutes," she reported.

"What can we do?" Cat asked.

"Probably nothing," Bova answered.

Just then, five Spung guards walked down the hall. The intruders heard a door open and a prisoner walk out. As the guards returned with the captive, they saw the pale and depressed face of Radu. His friends watched him being brought to another room and the door slamming firmly shut behind them.

"Clito, can you do that puddle thing again and go back to Elmira's room? Tell her Radu is in danger and we need a distraction now," Catalina said.

Clito nodded and Harlan hoisted her back into the tube. In an instant she was gone.

"When we get our distraction, Bova can zap the lock to open it and we'll rush in. Bova, Matt and I will take the guards while Harlan and Clito will get Radu out of there. We'll meet in the tubes or not at all. Agreed?" Cat ordered.

The others nodded. Soon, Elmira came flying down the halls with a few guards trailing behind her. She opened the door to the mind wiping room and stepped inside. Clito appeared beside Harlan and everyone waited for their moment.

Elmira successfully got two of the five guards to go with her. As she passed by the invader's hiding spot, she winked. When Elmira and her guards were out of view, they put Catalina's plan in action.

The door was already open, so Bova saved some charge. Inside were three Spung guards and one Luff scientist who was operating the machine. Radu was strapped down to a table with wires going in and out of his head. He was unconscious. 

Catalina screamed and one of the guards fell, deafened by her pitch. She picked up his blaster and shot him. Bova electrocuted another as it shot him with its blaster. The charge from the shot only made the Uranusian stronger. Matt, who disliked using his powers for violence, gave the last guard the hotfoot before melting both his feet into the metal floor.

Harlan attacked the Luff scientists, leaving him senseless on the floor while Clito fiddled with the dials. She seemed frustrated until she suddenly looked to her right, seemed to see something, and pushed the correct buttons. The mind wipe was halted in mid-wipe. Bova, Catalina, and Matt then destroyed the device.

By now, the racket they had made alerted the guards in the area to their presence. They closed and bolted the door, but knew that it would not hold for long. 

"We need to get out of here," Matt yelled.

Harlan had unstrapped Radu and was trying to wake him up. The Andromedan cracked open one eye and stared groggily at his saviour.

"Hey, Radu, snap out of it!" Harlan said.

"Harlan?" Radu asked in a slurred voice.

"We need your muscles, buddy," Harlan helped Radu to his feet.

He brought his sleepy Andromedan friend to the wall that lead to the outside of the ship.

"Just bash through the wall and we're all free," Harlan said.

"Free?" Radu repeated.

Radu shook his head to clear a few cobwebs before putting both his fists together for one giant punch. He managed a fist sized hole through the ship to the planet outside. A few more punches and both the wall and the Andromedan were finished. 

Matt and Harlan carried Radu to safety as the others shot at the Spung who were chasing them. Once the six soldiers made it to their own lines, the sentries saw the approaching Spung and sounded the alarm. Soon, the entire UPP army was facing two dozen Spung who had been chasing the six intruders.

**********

Inside their tent, Radu was put on Harlan's bed to rest and recover. The others congratulated each other on a job well done. As they were preparing to sleep, Catalina remembered something of that night's experience.

"Clito," she called. "How did you know which buttons to push?"

"It was strange," the Neptunian answered. "I was thinking to myself that I had no idea what to do and this girl with brown hair streaked with colours appeared beside me and told me what to push."

"Suzee?" Harlan said. "You saw Suzee?"

"Where were you four years ago?" Catalina asked, rolling her eyes.

**********

Catalina opened her eyes and yawned. In the near distance, someone was blowing a trumpet to wake the soldiers. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, wondering why she was still tired after a good nights sleep. The sight of Harlan on the floor in a sleeping bag reminded her of the previous night's exploits. Cat smiled happily when she thought of all her friends safe and sound. She stood and tip toed over to Harlan's bunk.

"He's gone!" she exclaimed, waking the other members of the tent.

"Who's gone?" Harlan mumbled sleepily.

"Radu!"

"Who's Radu?" Clito asked.

"The Andromedan we saved," Matt reminded her.

"Oh yeah."

Cat frantically put on her boots and was about to leave the tent when Commander Goddard came in. Cat backed up to let him in and sat on her bunk, her eyes never leaving his stern face.

"Uh, good morning, Commander," Harlan said. "Sleep well?"

"You five are in big trouble," Goddard said in a menacing voice. "Not only did you disobey orders to stay in camp, you threatened the safety of yourselves and others."

"But, we got Radu back," Catalina argued.

"And we totaled the mind sucking machine, for all the good that will do," Bova added.

Goddard looked down on all of them and smiled. "Yes, you did save Radu and destroy the mind wiping machine. For that, you have all been invited to the governor's house where she will extend her own personal thank you on behalf of her people."

The five soldiers smiled at gave a yell of joy. Even Goddard let his strict leader persona fade and smiled with them.

"Where is Radu, anyway?" Cat asked.

"After I heard you all sneak back in here and the night sentries were firing on the Spung chasing you, I came in to see if you had succeeded. You were all asleep and didn't seem injured, but Radu was moaning in his sleep. I brought him to the medical facilities. Rosie is taking care of him," Goddard replied.

Cat smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Get cleaned up and dressed in your parade uniforms. We mustn't keep the governor of Andromeda waiting," Goddard said.

"Can we see him?" Harlan asked as the Commander was leaving.

Goddard nodded and Harlan, too, exhaled the breath he had not realized he was holding.

**********

The Andromedan governor gave them each a golden medal proclaiming their status as heroes. The breakfast she served them was the finest in Andromedan cuisine. Unfortunately, the meal was too heavy for the delicate stomachs of her guests and alternate meals were provided. After the dinner, Clito and Bova were taken by scientists eager to find out how the mind wiping machine worked. While they were off answering questions, Harlan, Matt, and Catalina were taken to the medical facility where Radu was being kept. 

Rosie's father, Gunter greeted them outside the small building where the injured soldiers were housed. He lead them through various stages of disinfection in order to keep the hospital as clean as possible. They were given plain white robes to wear instead of their uniforms. Rosie met them on the other side.

"Harlan! Cat! Nice to see you guys!" she exclaimed, rushing up to embrace them both. 

"Rosie, this is Mattar," Cat introduced.

"Hi," Matt said shyly.

"Hello," Rosie replied, equally abashed.

Gunter cleared his throat and Rosie turned back to her former crewmates. She gestured for them to follow her and they began their walk into the hospital.

They passed row upon row of beds, each containing a different victim of the second Spung war. Most were Andromedan, taken care by Andromedan doctors, but others were human, Saturnian, Neptunian and even Martian. Rosie hurried them by, but each of the newly proclaimed heroes had time to see the damage this war had caused. Limbs had been removed, heads were bandaged, and skin fried off. Harlan shuddered as he remembered how close some of those blaster shots had been.

They stopped in front of a bed that had been curtained off. Rosie brought them in close so she would not have to speak loudly and spoke in an uncharacteristically serious voice.

"He's been partially mind wiped, so he may not recognize you. He does know me, but barely remembers his life on the Christa. Don't speak too loudly because his hearing seems more sensitive than before," Rosie cautioned.

She drew back the curtain and allowed her friends to step inside.

Radu lay on his bed, wearing a white patient's gown. His head was bandaged and interveinous tubes were protruding from his arm. His eyes were closed and he seemed more pale than usual. Rosie went to his left side and touched his arm gently. Harlan, Catalina, and Matt went to his right.

"Radu, you have visitors," she whispered.

Radu turned his head slightly and gave a soft moan as if the act of waking up was too difficult for him. He turned his head toward Rosie's voice and opened his eyes.

"Rosie," he said with a smile on his face.

Rosie pointed to the other side of the bed where the others waited quietly. Radu turned and furrowed his brow as he tried to remember who these people were.

"Hi Radu," Harlan said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"H . . . Harlan?" Radu asked. Harlan nodded.

"Hey Radu," Cat smiled.

Radu just smiled back at her. Rosie went around to the right side of the bed.

"Do you remember Catalina?" Rosie asked.

Radu stared at her, hoping to get a hint of his past. 

"I remember a loud scream, on a ship somewhere far away and a girl who almost looks like you talking to her imaginary friend," he said.

"She's not imaginary, she's invisible. There's a difference," Cat choked out the words as her eyes filled with tears. "And she says get well soon."

"Where's Thelma?" Radu asked suddenly. "Thelma! Thelma, where are you?"

Rosie ushered the others back into the hall and drew the curtain as Radu continued to call for Thelma. They heard her whisper something to her patient before the calls died down and Rosie came out.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "He gets confused sometimes."

"He doesn't remember me," Cat stammered. 

"He remembers you, Rainbow Head," Harlan assured her. "He just remembers you before you changed, before Suzee came."

"Does anyone want something to drink?" Rosie asked. "Radu is sleeping now and I don't want to wake him."

"No thanks, Rosie," Harlan said, speaking for the group. "I think we'd better head back to the action."

"We'll visit you again," Cat promised.

"As long as you don't come in on a stretcher," Rosie smiled.

She lead them back to the door they had used before and an Andromedan nurse lead them back outside. As they made their way back to the front, they saw Rosie standing in the window, waving good bye.

**********

The fighting continued for another three weeks without end. Many on both sides fell and the number in Goddard's company fell from twenty to fifteen. Catalina, Harlan, Bova, Clito, and Matt were almost constantly on patrol or sentry duty as the numbers fell. They worked to the point of exhaustion when the brain ceases to think and the body acts solely on instinct. The nights were short and the days long. Finally, reinforcements arrived.

It was a month after visiting Radu and Rosie in the hospital when the infamous five were granted two days of rest. They chose to remain in camp, sleeping most of the time. Catalina and Clito each had a long, well deserved shower while Harlan and Matt occupied their time getting to know one another. Bova was often seen sitting alone, writing letters to an unknown penpal.

"Has anyone else noticed that the Spung fight a lot harder now?" Harlan asked as the group lounged around their tent.

"Yeah, its almost as if they know they're going to lose," Matt agreed.

"On the bright side, at least we don't have to shoot anymore Andromedans," Catalina commented.

"And the Spung don't seem to be getting any new reinforcements either," Clito added.

"How do we know that? For all we can tell there may be five more Killcruiser orbiting the planet, just waiting for Warlord Shank to ask them to join the party," Bova remarked.

"No need to be so pessimistic," Clito told him.

"Yes there is," Bova said. "I'm Uranusian."

There was a call from the main courtyard of the camp for any mail. Bova hopped to his feet and grabbed a letter he had been writing. He shoved it into an envelope and scribbled a name on it.

"Who are you writing to?" Catalina asked.

"The rations officer," Bova replied. "I'm trying to see how many letters it will take before we get seven meals."

"If you don't want to tell us, you could just say so," Matt said.

"Knowing Bova," Harlan laughed, "he's telling the truth!"

**********

Elmira threw a handful of sparkly dust into the air, making one of her fathers warriors sneeze. She seated herself on a large velvet cushion and fell into a trance, eyes closed. Her head rolled around loosely on her neck, as if someone was screwing it on. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she stared absently at Warlord Shank.

"What I say may seem untrue, but victory lies down another avenue. There is but one, a leader grand that can give you the world with the wave of her hand. Control this one, and in time the rest of her race with follow your sign," Elmira said.

Warlord Shank waited for more, but his daughter had already come out of the trance.

"Did the answer please you, my lord?" she asked politely.

"Warlord Shank does not answer the simple questions of females," Shank said. He gestured to his warriors. "Come."

Elmira shook her head to clear out the last remnants of fog before walking to her window. The view outside was one of utter destruction. She sighed and prayed that her friends had gotten Radu out safely.

**********

Catalina crawled on her stomach through the mud of the battlefield. She held in her hands a blaster and in her throat her sonic scream. A few meters to her right she could see Harlan and Clito in her liquid form. To her left was Matt. Her ear piece crackled to life as Bova tried to contact her.

"The target is five meters ahead," Bova informed them from the safety of the camp. "Keep moving."

The four of them, along with three other cadets, were on a mission to destroy a laser cannon the Spung had set up to use against the Andromedan city. As the leader of the group, it was up to Catalina to make sure the group made it in - and out - alive. She signaled for Harlan and Clito to move to the right of the laser while she and Matt took the left. The remaining recruits were to draw the attention of the Spung guards by firing on their barracks. Catalina held up her hand to signal action. The three recruits held their weapons ready and Harlan looked prepared to sprint to the laser. Cat dropped her hand and the firing began.

Under the fire of their own people, Harlan and Clito made it to the right of the laser and were lost from view. Matt and Catalina pressed themselves against their side of the laser and took a moment to catch their breath.

"Look for a small disc that would be near the firing mechanism," Bova told her.

Catalina did as she was told and found the disc that held the firing information. She smashed it into pieces on a nearby rock and put the pieces into her pouch. 

Harlan was furiously pulling out wires when a shot ricochet off the laser near his arm. He looked up and saw a Spung warrior staring down at him. Harlan fired his blaster, killing the Spung at point blank range before retreating in a hurry. Clito followed him, still in liquid form.

Cat and Matt finished their part of the job and were retreating as well when Cat felt an unusual pain in her right leg. She fell and tried to rise, but found that her lower body would not listen to her commands. Matt crawled back to her and lifted her over his shoulder. He ran with her on his back to the camp, shooting the enemy with balls of fire from his hands.

Matt rested Catalina against a wall in the camp. He shouted for a medic but got Harlan and Clito instead. Catalina was pale and covered in sweat. She felt her head begin to swim and she struggled to hold onto consciousness until Commander Goddard was beside her. With a shaky hand, she reached into her pouch and pressed the broken disc into Goddard's hand.

"Mission accomplished," she said before fading completely.

**********

Catalina awoke in a hospital bed wearing a gown similar to the one she had seen Radu wear months before. She vaguely wondered if it was the same hospital, but the thought passed almost as soon as it had occurred. An Andromedan nurse came by, took her temperature, and wrote a few notes on a clipboard at the end of her bed.

"Can you move?" the nurse asked in broken English.

"I can move my left leg, but not my right," Catalina answered.

The nurse nodded. "I will get you a chair so you can move around. You have been in bed for too long."

Before Cat could reply or even say thank you, the nurse was gone. Catalina settled down in her bed to wait.

**********

A week after she had arrived, Catalina had found that she could manage in her wheelchair very well. There were a few things that she had problems with, such as the step that lead from the hospital to the garden in the back. She usually had to call for a nurse to help her up or down the step. It became a minor annoyance. 

In the entire time she had been there, she had not seen Rosie or Radu. She was sure it was the same hospital because she recognized some of the features from her visit before. She often thought about where Rosie could have gone as she sat in the garden. After Rosie, her thoughts strayed to Harlan who was still fighting. 

The bell that signaled a meal rang and Catalina snapped out of her reverie. She turned and wheeled back to the hospital. Catalina gave a soft grunt of frustration as the front wheels hit the step and was about to call for a nurse when she felt herself being lifted onto the step. When she was down, she turned to thank her benefactor. Her surprised look must have scared him, because he suddenly became nervous and lowered his gaze to his feet.

"You . . . uh, looked like you needed help," he stammered. 

"I did," Catalina said, recovering her voice. "Thank you."

"M - my name's . . . Radu," the Andromedan said.

"I'm Catalina," she replied. "Do you want to walk with me to lunch?"

Radu's eyes brightened and he smiled. He took a hold of the handlebars behind Catalina's chair and pushed her to the lunch room.

**********

Days faded into weeks and Catalina's injury did not change. She spent her time with Radu, who seemed to have no other friends in the hospital besides her. She was careful not to mention anything about his past in case it would have a negative effect on whatever treatment he was receiving. She had seen Rosie a few times, but the Mercurian was usually too busy to do anything by wave as her friend passed.

"Catalina," Radu asked one day as they continued their month long game of Ferna Hernan Three-Level Spitz, "why are you here?"

"I was shot in the back by Spung and . . . " Cat began.

"No," Radu clarified, "why are you in this war? You're not Andromedan and you haven't had any Andromedan visitors here. I can't see how you're involved."

Catalina played with one of the game pieces as she thought about her answer.

"What do you remember of your past?" she asked quietly.

"Less every day," Radu admitted. "I remember passing faces, emotions, and sounds more than events."

"What kind of faces?" 

"I can see Rosie, but she seems younger and was wearing a regulator helmet. I feel happy when I think of her then."

"Who else?"

"A guy, an Earther, with dark hair and skin. I have mixed emotions about him; sometimes scared, other times content. He . . . he seems angry at me. I don't know why."

"Anyone else?"

"A girl, who looks kind of like you, only with short hair that's coloured like a rainbow in circles. I get a feeling of tolerance from her, but also acceptance and maybe even friendship. Whenever her face enters my mind, I hear a piercing sonic scream," Radu said.

"Do you think about her a lot?" Cat asked.

"More than the others," Radu admitted. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

Catalina opened her mouth to answer when Rosie came running down the hall towards them.

"The Spung are attacking!" she exclaimed. "Pass the word that anyone fit enough must fight."

She continued past them, toward the main entrance to the hospital. Catalina and Radu exchanged a glance and followed her to help.

**********

The battle was well underway when they arrived. Radu was a formidable opponent, using his strength and endurance to literally throw the Spung away from the hospital. Those few who survived the toss quickly ran off. Catalina stayed back, searching in vain for a way she could be useful. Her good leg hurt and the other remained numb. 

Rosie was guarding the doors to the inside with an intense wall of heat. Her skin was red and glowing with the heat of a super nova. Catalina was sure to stay away to keep her chair from melting. The Spung who tried to approach her were burned or reduced to ash.

Cat surveyed the scene and saw Radu in trouble with five Spung warriors. Despite his Andromedan endurance, he was tiring due to his injury. 

"Radu!" she yelled. "Cover your ears!"

Without knowing why, the Andromedan did as he was told and Catalina let out a powerful sonic scream. The Spung hissed in pain and either fell writhing on the ground or fled. When Catalina stopped, the threat had gone. Radu looked at her in horror.

"You!" he stammered. "You . . . you're the girl from my memories!"

Before Catalina could explain herself, Radu ran past her and into the hospital. 

**********

Harlan walked around his new campsite. Goddard's team had been broken up and taken as reinforcements for other groups along the front. Harlan and Matt had been sent to an Andromedan outpost as far away from the battles as they could get. Clito had been taken to espionage headquarters after the Andromedan's heard about her liquidation ability and Bova had gone to study as an apprentice scientist. Goddard had been honourably discharged and sent back to Starcademy.

Harlan sighed. His new home-away-from-home was in a lush green forest setting. The camp was made around a very small lake and, from the top of one of the walls, he could just make out the tall buildings of the Andromedan capital city. He wondered how Catalina was doing at the hospital. As an afterthought, he wondered if Radu had regained any memories. 

"Hey Harlan," Matt called from the water's edge.

Harlan walked over to join his friend. "Are you as bored as me?" he asked.

"Probably," Matt replied. "Check this out," 

Matt put one finger into the lake and watched the water boil. Before the whole lake began to bubble, he withdrew his finger.

"Exciting," Harlan said, his voice void of emotion.

"At least we're not getting shot at," Matt said, trying to be optimistic.

Harlan sighed, wondering if this was better.

**********

"You just scared him, that's all," Rosie said reassuringly. 

Catalina drummed her fingers on the table. She had not touched her meal and Radu was no where to be found. Ever since she had used her sonic scream to get rid of the Spung, he had avoided her.

"Will he ever remember, Rosie?" Cat asked.

"I don't know," Rosie admitted. "Sometimes he seems to be making progress. Other times he can't remember his own name."

"If only we hadn't destroyed that machine," Catalina sighed. "Maybe we could have reversed the process."

Cat sat straight up, her mind repeating what she had just said.

"Cat?" Rosie asked.

"I have a great idea," Catalina said. "Rosie, can you get me some paper? I need to write a letter."

**********

"What? Has she gone insane?" Harlan cried at the sheet of paper in front of him.

"What is it?" Matt asked, coming over for a look.

"It's Catalina," Harlan said. "I think the hospital forgot about her leg and operated on her brain. She's asking me to give this message to Elmira."

"The Spung?" Matt repeated. "You're kidding."  
Harlan handed over the paper, which Matt read.

Harlan - 

Radu is still sick and getting worse. He found out I was someone from his past and won't speak to me anymore. The only way I can think of restoring his memories completely involves Elmira. Please, bring her to the hospital. Radu is depending on you, and so am I.

- Catalina

"So, how are we going to get Elmira?" Matt asked, returning the letter.

"What do you mean?" Harlan told him.

"Look," Matt said. "This Radu fellow must be pretty important to you guys if you were willing to risk your lives to rescue him from the Spung. There has to be something we can do to save him again."

"You're right," Harlan said, shoving the letter in his pocket, "but I'm going alone."

"No, you're not," Matt objected. "We're friends and we're in this together."

"I can't ask you to come," Harlan told him. "I'm going to have to escape this camp, head back to the front, infiltrate the enemy base and capture the Spung princess. I could get court marshaled for this."

"Fine, don't ask," Matt said. "I'm still going."

"You can't!" Harlan insisted for a final time. "You just can't. If you're really the friend you say you are, you'll respect that."

Harlan turned on his heel and headed back to his tent. Mattar watched him go without a word.

**********

As the night fell, Harlan stepped into the darkness. Matt had said good bye to him at dinner and had stayed in his tent. As Harlan scaled the wall, he felt a bulge in his pocket. Once in the safety of the forest, he took the device from his pocket and read the note that was attached.

"Best of luck, Matt," it read. 

Harlan smiled and turned the device around in his hand. It was spherical, black, small and fit easily into his palm. On the top, it had a red button with another message attached to it.

"Push this button when you're about to enter the ship. It's a portable cloaking device that can hide you from inferred, scanners, targeting equipment and even from sight. I'll be waiting for you at the hospital in two days. Signed, Matt."

Harlan whispered a thank you to his Mercurian friend and slipped the cloaking device into his pocket. He checked his map and sprinted away from the camp, toward the Spung Killcruiser.

**********

Rosie made her rounds. The patients she treated all claimed she was the best doctor there - with her soothing touch and excellent bedside manner. Rosie remembered back to a time when one of her teachers had told her the same thing. Those happy times seemed like a lifetime ago.

She pushed back the curtain that gave Radu some privacy and saw the Andromedan sitting on his bed, reading a compupad. A brief sense of sadness and failure swept over Rosie as she realized for the hundredth time that all her work and effort had not saved her friend. She smiled and went over to where Radu sat.

"Hi, Radu," she said cheerfully.

"Hi, Rosie," Radu mumbled, his eyes still on the compupad.

"What are you reading?" Rosie asked.

"Something Catalina gave me a while ago that I didn't start until now."

"What is it?"

"She said it was a ship's log, from an alien vessel she was on. Before I - I saw her as the girl from my memories."

Rosie didn't reply. She remembered the day Suzee had downloaded all the Christa's logs since their unexpected encounter with the white circle. It was when Radu had informed them that the Starcademy was on his scanner. Suzee had said that Catalina would want to remember all the adventures that had happened, and left the compupad as a present when she returned to her own dimension.

"Rosie," Radu interrupted. "You were on this ship too, right?"

Rosie nodded.

"A - And someone called - " Radu checked the compupad for the correct name "Harlan Band."

"Yes," Rosie agreed.

"And I - I was there, too?"

"Yes, you were there too," Rosie told him. "We spent three years on the Christa. It was supposed to take us over seven years to return home, but we were found by a UPP vessel near the opening of a wormhole that we had not discovered."

"So, Catalina and I . . . "

"Were good friends on the Christa, and even when we returned back to Starcademy. Our experiences with the Christa made us inseparable friends."

Radu put down the compupad and stared at his bed. Rosie watched him for a while.

"So many things I've forgotten," Radu whispered.

"Not forgotten," Rosie corrected. "They were stolen from you, but I bet there's someone you can talk to who will help you remember."

Radu looked up at Rosie and smiled. He got up off the bed and hurried out to the garden. Catalina was sitting in her wheelchair near a stone bench, apparently talking to herself.

"I don't know what to do, Suzee," Catalina was saying, her cheeks stained with tears. "I didn't want to hurt him, but I had to!"

"You're talking to Suzee, right?" Radu said, coming up behind her. "Your imaginary - I mean, invisible friend."

Catalina turned her head and smiled.

"Radu!" she cried. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't want to shock you like that, but . . . "

"I - It's okay," Radu silenced her. "I should be apologizing. I'm just so confused, I should have recognized a friend right away."

He sat down next to her on the bench.

"Do you want to continue our Three Level Spitz game?" he asked shyly.

Catalina nodded and the two left the garden for the game room.

**********

Harlan crouched outside the entrance to the Spung Killcruiser where the Spung warriors were walking in for the night. It had taken him an entire day of traveling to reach the front and the Killcruiser. Now, tired and full of determination, Harlan pushed the button on the cloaking device and stepped into full view. The Spung continued on their way. Harlan smiled at his success and snuck into the ship. 

It took him a few minutes to locate Elmira's quarters. He was about to enter when he saw Warlord Shank sitting in front of his daughter, who appeared to be in a trance. Harlan crouched by the door to hear Elmira's prediction.

"To win the war, it must be said the entire ordeal lies in one head. A word of caution to this tale, if thoughts returned, you shall fail."

The door slid open and Harlan jumped clear. Warlord Shank and two of his warriors exited the room. As the door swung closed behind them, Harlan snuck in. 

Elmira was seated at her table, staring in her mirror. Harlan came up behind her and put his hand over her mouth. As Elmira gasped, first at the invisible assailant, then at seeing Harlan appear, the young cadet silenced her with his finger.

"What are you doing here?" Elmira demanded in a whisper.

"I need your help," Harlan replied. "It's Radu."

Elmira's eyes widened with fear. 

"His memory is really patchy, and getting worse. Catalina has it in her head that you can help him regain all his lost memories. Will you come with me and try?" Harlan explained.

Elmira nodded. "How will we get out?"

"The same way I got in," Harlan smiled, holding up a black sphere.

**********

As the entrance ramp to the Spung kill cruiser closed, two forms materialized behind one of the landing legs. Harlan looked around for guards and lead a cloaked figure toward the Starcademy/Andromedan camps. He planned to take Elmira directly to Radu, preferring not to waste the few hours of darkness that remained. Elmira did not say a word, but followed her friend to the aid of her love.

**********

"Matt! What are you doing here?" Catalina exclaimed.

The Mercurian smiled at her and handed her a bouquet of Andromedan wild flowers. Catalina took the present and embraced her friend in a warm hug. Matt then introduced himself to Radu, who did not remember him at all.

"Is Rosie around?" Matt asked.

Catalina nodded her head to the private quarters of the staff. No patients were permitted into those dwellings unless there was a dire emergency. Matt thanked his Saturnian friend and headed to the complex.

He stopped in front of a door that read 'Dr. Rosie Ianni' on the outside and knocked politely. Rosie answered the door, dressed in a gray jumpsuit instead of the white robes of a doctor.

"Matt!" she said, a little surprised.

"Hello, Rosie," Matt said. "May I come in for a moment?"

"Uh, sure!" Rosie opened the door wider and let her friend in.

Inside the small room was a bed, a bathroom, a set of drawers and a closet. Piled on the bed were letters, each addressed to her. Matt noticed them and turned away in embarrassment.

"Did I interrupt you? I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Don't be sorry," Rosie said, stuffing the letters into a box. "They're just from - a friend who's fighting at the front."

Matt smiled and sat down on Rosie's bed, next to her. The Mercurian girl kept her hands folded on her lap and she stared at them. Matt looked uncomfortably around the room until he spotted an instrument leaning against her dresser.

"Hey, is that a zither?" Matt asked.

Rosie brightened up. "Yeah, do you play?"

Matt shook his head. "Do you?"

Rosie laughed and picked up the zither. She began to play a short song she learned while aboard the Christa. Matt closed his eyes and listened.

"You play excellently," Matt complimented.

"Thank you," Rosie said, eyes down cast.

Matt took her hands into his and gazed into her eyes. Rosie seemed alarmed at first, but soon melted into his eyes.

"Rosie," Matt began. "This may sound forward, but I like you. I like you a lot. Would you permit me to begin the Mercurian courting ceremony?"

Rosie's eyes widened and she glanced quickly down at the box of letters. Matt followed her eyes and released her hands. 

"I'm sorry," he said. "I - I didn't realize you were already being courted. Please forgive me. I - I'll go now."

He rose to leave. Rosie tried to stop him, but before she could figure out what to say, he was gone. Rosie stared after him in a kind of shock and picked up the topmost letter in the box.

Rosie - 

I've wanted to tell you this for a very, very long time. The years on the Christa, you were as close as I've ever had to a best friend. Even though I may have seemed upset or annoyed, I really liked spending time with you, even if you sometimes did ignore me. What I'm trying to say is, Rosie, I love you. Please, consider my offer. 

- Bova

*****

Harlan stepped out of the bushes and into the garden. He saw Catalina and Radu sitting under a tree, talking. He took a hesitant step toward them and saw Radu tilt his head slightly in Harlan's direction. Glad that it was still impossible to sneak up on an Andromedan, Harlan joined the duo on the grass.

"Hi, Harlan," Catalina greeted him.

Harlan sat next to Cat. Her empty wheelchair was behind her serving as a reminder of what the war had done.

"How's the leg?" he asked.

"Numb as ever," Cat sighed. "Harlan, you remember Radu?"

"Hi!" Harlan greeted him.

Radu looked at him warily. He looked at Catalina, speaking as if Harlan weren't there.

"Catalina, isn't this the one who mistrusted me because of my race?" Radu asked.

"Yes, but that was a long time ago. You two became good friends after that," Cat replied.

Radu turned back to Harlan. "Hi," he said.

"Have you seen Matt?" Harlan asked.

"He went to see Rosie," Radu replied. 

"Then we saw him run by. He didn't even stop to say good bye! Radu said he heard him crying," Cat said.

"Radu, will you go and get Rosie, please?" Harlan asked.

Radu nodded. He stood and left in the direction of the doctor's complex.

"I assume you got my letter," Catalina said. "Is everything going according to plan?"

"Your plan is hiding in the bushes," Harlan said. "You know that if she's caught, I could get court marshaled and she could get executed as a prisoner of war."

"I know," Cat sighed. "I didn't think anything bad would happen. Suzee helped me with the plan and everything."

"Well, tell Suzee that it's on her conscious if anything happens," Harlan said. "I don't want to throw away my military career before it's even started."

"Suzee says to calm down. Nothing bad has ever happened before," Cat said.

Radu returned with Rosie and a confused look on his face. It was clear that he had heard every word of the conversation between his two friends.

"Don't worry," Catalina assured him. "Nothing will go wrong."

Radu sat down next to Catalina. Rosie sat down next to him and Harlan got to his feet.

"Prep the patient," Harlan said. "I'll go get the medication."

"Medication?" Radu repeated. "What's going on?"

"We have a friend that can give you back your memories," Catalina told him. "She's very dear to you, so don't be frightened."

Harlan came back with his cloaked guest. She kneeled on the grass in front of Radu and threw back her hood. Radu stared at her for a split second before jumping to his feet.

"She's a Spung!" he cried. "If there's one thing I could never forget, it's the Spung!"

"It's me, Radu," she said pleadingly, "Elmira. Don't you remember all that we've shared?"

Rosie took one arm and Harlan took the other. They brought the distraught Andromedan back to where Elmira sat next to Catalina.

"This is the dear friend?" Radu asked. "I thought we were fighting these creatures!"

"It's kind of complicated," Harlan said. "Trust us."

Radu sat back down and Elmira took his hands in hers. She closed her eyes and Radu did the same. The Spung princess entered into a trance like state, bringing Radu with her. 

The others sat around, waiting.

**********

"Bova?" Clito called.

She stepped over a piece of broken wall and into what was once the main lab in research and development. Only moments ago, the Spung had fire concussion missiles at the base, destroying months of research. The diplomats who had been trying to negotiate peace with the Spung took this act of violence to mean that peace was out of the question. 

Clito had been on her way to the lab when the missile had struck. She had reflexively liquefied herself to protect her body from the blast. Although the lab had been hit, it had not been the precise target. The empty soldier's barracks that had been full of waiting recruits until about three days ago was now a large, black hole. 

"Bova, can you hear me?"

The Neptunian searched the rubble for survivors. She had seen several others of her race in puddle form moving quickly out of the area, while the other not-so-fortunate races remained trapped. A Mercurian melted his way out of a metal trap and several Andromedans were lifting heavy girders out of the way with ease. Clito continued her search for her missing friends.

"Over here," came a weak answer to her cries.

Clito hurried over to where the voice was coming from, followed by two Andromedan males who had also heard. 

Bova was trapped between the wall and what had once been a heavy metal table. He was in a sitting position with his arms pinned upwards and his legs stretched out in front of him. 

"Bova, are you okay?" Clito called.

"Never better," Bova replied sarcastically.

The two Andromedans lifted the table and wall out of the way. Unharmed by the explosion, Bova stood up and dusted himself off. Clito gave him a large hug, which Bova accepted uncomfortably.

"What was that?" he asked. "Have the Spung won? Are we all doomed?"

"It was just a missile," Clito replied, taking her friend by the arm.

"Oh, is that all?" Bova asked. "For a minute I thought it was something serious."

Clito smiled and brought the Uranusian to the medics, just in case his normal behaviour was hiding something.

**********

Radu sat at the controls of the small space vessel. Beside him, his cynical co-pilot registered the systems as all clear. Radu smiled, despite himself. It was his first real piloting mission, after all. Although he was a good navigator and enjoyed what he did, he now understood why the pilot was always so touchy about letting the others fly.

The ship loomed in front of him, right on schedule. Radu checked his readings again and continued on course. Suddenly, the larger ship raced right at them. Radu frantically tried to alter the course, but it was too late. The large ship clipped the smaller vessel, sending them into a spiral. Radu spun around and around until he did not know up from down. He kept thinking about all his happy memories as he prepared himself for death . . . 

**********

He sat up in bed with sweat pouring down his face. After a quick look around, Radu saw that he was not on the small space vessel, but sitting in his bed in the hospital. With a shaky hand, Radu wiped the perspiration off his brow and settled back in to finish his sleep. He suddenly sat up again. He remembered! He knew who he was, who his friends were, and who his enemies were. He remembered events, he remembered the Christa, he remembered Thelma and Suzee! Too happy to sleep now, Radu got out of bed and quietly made his way to the garden.

Catalina was awake in bed as well. Harlan and Elmira had left a few hours ago, after both the Andromedan and Spung princess had collapsed. Harlan had taken Elmira back to her father while Rosie had put Radu in bed until he woke. Full of worry for all of her friends, Cat found she could not rest. 

She heard the quiet footsteps of someone walking past. Knowing it was too late for the nurses to be around, she lifted her head slightly. A familiar mass of hair walked by and Catalina wondered where Radu was going at this hour. She lifted herself into her wheel chair and followed after him.

At the small step leading to the garden, Catalina muttered as she slid down and onto the garden path. Radu was well ahead of her, although she knew he must have heard her. She followed him to the bench where they always talked and there she found him, waiting for her.

"Radu, what are you . . . ?" Catalina began.

"Cat," Radu stammered. "I - I remember! Elmira did it! I'm a little foggy on everything that's happened since the mind wipe, but I remember everything in my past!"

Catalina could not remember the last time she had seen her friend so happy and full of life. She hurried over to him and embraced him, crying tears of joy. 

"I knew it would work, I just knew it!" Catalina said. "Oh, wait. Now you'll have to go back to the fighting."

Radu's expression steeled itself. "I'm looking forward to it."

**********

The fighting continued and the efforts were redoubled. Harlan, Matt, Bova, and Clito were all brought back to the front as more Spung warriors came spewing out of the kill cruisers. Blasting a few more, Harlan wiped the sweat off his brow. No matter how many of the lizard creatures they seemed to kill, twice as many returned.

He glanced over his shoulder to where Matt crouched. Since that night when Harlan had snuck out, his Mercurian friend had not been the same. Briefly, Harlan wondered what was wrong, but the thought was interrupted by the war.

"Fall back!" the announcement came.

Gratefully, the troops headed back to the camp. The Spung commander also paused his attack as both sides regrouped. In the camp, the non - Andromedan fighters were sent to their tents. 

"What gives?" Harlan demanded. "The Spung are still out there!"

"Do not question my orders, Earther," the Andromedan captain said. "It is our war and we shall finish it."

Harlan was too tired to argue further. He followed the other mumbling troops back to their tents. Instead of sleeping, however, the Starcademy troops crowded near the trenches to watch the Andromedan counter attack.

Three rows of Andromedans stood facing the Spung. Confused, the lizard creatures did not move. Harlan scanned the rock solid faces of the Andromedans and spotted Radu. None of them were armed, but each wore light armour to protect their bodies again the Spung blasters. 

The captain gave a signal and each of the Andromedan soldiers began to hum. The song was quiet, repetitive and tuneless but it arose a similar reaction in each of the fighters. Their hands clenched at their sides and their faces reddened. Even the normally cool captain became agitated and restless. Finally, the Spung got enough courage to attack again and the Andromedans were released.

Harlan remembered Commander Goddard telling him about the Andromedans he fought during the first war. The story of their endurance, speed, and strength. Harlan recalled how monstrous they had seemed and that image was what transfixed this battle in his mind.

Mad with rage, the Andromedans charged chaotically. They no longer proceeded in neat ranks, they no longer followed the stiff regulations they had imposed on themselves. The simply charged.

The first wave of Spung who met these berserk Andromedans head on did not survive. They were ripped to shreds by the hands of their former slaves. Harlan swept the commotion with his eyes, looking for Radu. He found the young soldier engaged in the same act as his elders and winced as his friend tore off the head of a Spung with one hand. Harlan shuddered as he thought back to all the times he had provoked Radu, thinking he could handle himself in a fight. 

The wave of Andromedans from Harlan's camp met up with Andromedans from the other camps. Soon, dozens of berserk Andromedans stormed the Spung kill cruisers that housed the entire Spung army. The lizard creatures could be seen fleeing in fear and could be heard crying out in pain. 

"I hope Elmira isn't still there," Bova remarked.

Harlan's eyes widened. "Uh, what if she is?" 

"Then Radu better recognize her or she's done for!"

**********

Three of Warlord Shank's personal guards hurried into Elmira's rooms when the first Andromedans attacked. They grabbed the princess and pushed her toward the docking bay. Without asking for an explanation, Elmira followed. As they passed the various corridors, the Sirrola could see her people being killed by Andromedans. She saw them coming toward her and she saw them fall when the guards shot them. Fleetingly, she thought of Radu.

Radu could only see red. He functioned on instinct alone as his rage coursed through his blood. It was the anger he felt at being ridiculed his whole life, at having vengeance over the race who enslaved his people. It felt good.

He saw four Spung hurrying through the corridors and attacked. Viciously, he crushed the bones of the two warriors and went after the small female. She stared at him with wide eyes and fled. Radu smiled cruelly and chased after her.

Seeing Radu in such a frenzy made Elmira wonder if her psychic link had restored his memories after all. She looked back and saw him chasing her. Terrified for her life, she hid. He soon found her.

"Radu!" Elmira cried. "Radu, think of what you're doing!"

Radu blinked and looked at her again.

"Get out of here," he snarled. "Hurry! Run to Harlan before another Andromedan gets you! When we're like this, we can't be controlled."

With that, Radu pushed her toward the exit and ran off in another direction. Elmira didn't hesitate to flee.

**********

Warlord Shank sat in his private shuttle, waiting for his guards to bring his daughter to him. He was becoming tired with this waiting and made a mental note to punish all three of them when they were safe. He heard the door to his shuttle slid open and turned to greet his daughter. Instead, he saw one of those annoying children.

"Get out of my ship," he commanded arrogantly.

"Get off of my planet," Radu replied.

The shuttle door slid shut behind the enraged Andromedan. Warlord Shank's cries echoed in the deserted hanger as Radu extracted his final revenge. 

**********

Radu woke up with a yawn and glanced at the clock beside his bunk. His eyes widened when he saw the time and he hurried to breakfast. The cafeteria was already full by the time he arrived, but his seat had been reserved nonetheless.

Harlan smiled at him as Radu slid onto the bench across from him and beside Rosie. Bova sat next to Harlan in Catalina's usual seat. The thought of his friend still in a wheel chair in an Andromedan hospital lowered his mood slightly, but Rosie was right there to cheer him up.

"I got a message from Cat last night," she said.

"Really?" Radu said. "What did she say?"

"It didn't make much sense," Rosie replied. "All it said was 'I'll meet you at docking bay B at lunch. Last one there's a rotten egg'."

Harlan laughed and ate his food. 

"It's about time," he remarked with his mouth full. "The war's been over for a few months and she's still there, missing class."

"Oh no! It's a Spung!" someone a few tables back called.

"Quick, call the UPP," another joined. "They'll protect us!"

Harlan glanced quickly at Radu as the catcalls continued. Radu closed his eyes for a minute and then reopened them.

"You know," Radu remarked a few seconds later, "the best thing about being Andromedan is that I can listen to the water evaporate off my plate instead of those guys back there."

Harlan laughed. "Good for you!"

**********

The morning's classes passed slowly. Each room has less students than when the war had began, a constant reminder of the young lives lost. Radu kept his head bent over his paper as the clock slowly ticked to lunch. Finally, the bell rang and the class dispersed. Radu headed immediatly to docking bay B.

The others were already there and eagerly awaiting Catalina's transport. Harlan had taken the time to notice where all the ramps were so they could bring Catalina to her room and was prepared to push her there himself. From the domed observatory, they saw the airlock open and the transport land.

The platform was lowered and a figure appeared, silhouetted in the doorway of the ship. 

"Guys!" it cried.

The space cases stared in shock as Catalina ran down the platform to engulf everyone in one giant group hug.

"Cat," Radu stammered. "Y - you're . . . "

"Walking!" Harlan finished.

"This is terrific!" Rosie said.

Catalina took Harlan's arm in one hand and Rosie's in the other. Radu picked up her baggage and they walked to the girl's dormitories.

"You know," Catalina thought aloud, "I should have kept that chair. The Saturnian Rejoicing Festival is coming up and those bells tend to give me a head ache after a while."

"Wear ear plugs," Radu suggested. 

"Zabagabee!" Bova said.

They all laughed, delighted to be reunited once and for always.

EPILOGUE

Dear Matt - 

I am flattered by your offer and now that I've had time to think it over, I 

have decided to try and get to know you better before deciding. You haveto understand that whoever I allow to court me must first of all be a friend. Give it time and we'll see what develops.

- Rosie

Dear Bova - 

Do you really love me, or am I just your first friend?

- Rosie

Dearest Rosie - 

I am honoured that you did not forget me. If you have no plans for the next Free Day, would you join me for a picnic in the biosphere?

- Mattar

Matt - 

I would love to.

- Rosie

Dear Rosie - 

You are both. I wish I had the courage to send this to you, but you clearly like Matt more than me. I don't blame you. Above everything else, I am a friend. Farewell, my beautiful rose!

- Bova


	2. Family Ties

FAMILY TIES

"Very good, Paul," Miss Croft said.

The human cadet beamed with pleasure. Radu watched him take his seat from the back corner of the class. He was painfully aware that to his left and in front of him were empty seats as he sat in the back right corner of the alien culture class. The other cadets at Starcademy were almost afraid to come near him, as if he would bite off their heads if they said hello.

"Radu, you are up next," Miss Croft called.

Radu winced slightly as she raised her voice for him to hear her. She knew that he could hear her quite clearly if she whispered, he had even heard her muttering under her breath a few times. He was also aware of the lesson taking place next door. Biochemistry - for the enhanced class. Radu picked up his compupad and made his way slowly to the front of the class for what was sure to be another public ridiculing of the Starcademy's only Andromedan student.

"Andromedan culture," he began, "is quite boring compared to the fascinating study of humans done by Paul."

"That's because humans are better than Andromedans," someone whispered.

Radu coloured slightly and cleared his throat.

"Andromedans spend their lives in their birth community and are raised to contribute to that community," Radu continued. "At birth, they are given a specific task as well as guidelines to memorize so they can function with the group as best they can. There is no room for improvement in Andromedan society and anyone who tries to change anything is shunned."

To his right, someone made snoring noises. Radu glanced down at his compupad nervously.

"Um, the family unit of Andromedans . . . " he began.

The bell rang, interrupting his presentation. The class leaped to their feet and walked out, leaving Radu standing alone, facing an empty room. Miss Croft touched him gently on the shoulder.

"Good job," she said sympathetically. 

Radu gathered his things and left. 

**********

"They really did that to you?" Harlan said. "Why, I ought to . . "

He pounded his fist to his hand to illustrate his point.

"Wow, that's really cold," Bova commented. 

Rosie sat next to the depressed Andromedan and put her arm around his shoulder. After the second Spung war, things had gone from bad to worse at the Starcademy. Over a hundred students had been killed during the fighting and Radu seemed to be the only thing they had to vent out their anger on. Before, the cadets had just been slightly cautious of Radu, ignoring him rather than provoking him. That had changed. Radu was now faced with catcalls in the hallway, complete isolation in the classroom, and utter embarrassment in the dorm. What was worse was that the teachers either did not notice, or did not mind the way Radu was being treated.

"Maybe I should just go back to Andromeda," he muttered.

"You can't do that!" Catalina objected.

"Yeah, it was the Andromedan government who put you here in the first place," Bova reminded him.

"I can change," Radu assured them. "I can become the mindless drone they want. I'm willing to keep my ideas to myself for my whole life to escape this place!"

He stood and took a few steps to the door. He turned back to his friends.

"I've made up my mind," he told them. "I'm resigning from Starcademy."

**********

Seth Goddard walked briskly down the hall, his nose in a compupad as he reviewed his student's marks. He was so absorbed in his work that he did not notice someone else coming down the hall until it was too late. The two bodies collided and fell to the ground. Goddard muttered something under his breath and raised his head to shout at the newcomer, until he saw who it was.

"Commander," Rosie said. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"I'm not a commander anymore, Rosie," Goddard told her. "They stripped me of my officer's rank because of our little trip on the Christa."

Rosie's face showed a sign of shock. "They did? Oh, Commander, I'm sorry. If I had known what would happen, I would never have agreed to follow Harlan . . . "

Goddard held up his hands to stop her. "I would rather give them my rank than change our trip, Rosie. Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"It's Radu," Rosie told him as he helped her to her feet. "He's leaving Starcademy!"

"Leaving? For where?" Goddard asked.

"He wants to go back to Andromeda, permanently. He's submitting his resignation tomorrow and none of us can talk him out of it. I thought maybe you could have a word with him," Rosie said.

"I don't know if he'd listen," Goddard said, "but I'll certainly try."

**********

Radu stood alone in the deserted dorm room. It had been full of students only moments ago, until he entered. Then, the conversation stopped, the hushed comments began, and the entire room emptied in a matter of minutes. Radu stood in front of his bunk and silently pack his clothes. 

He heard the footsteps coming down the hall and he heard the Commander clear his throat nervously and take a deep breath before coming in. Radu didn't turn, although he knew the man was standing right behind him.

"There's nothing you can say," Radu told him. "I'm leaving."

"Fine," Goddard said.

Radu turned around. His face was full of confusion as he stared at the man in front of him. Goddard calmly looked back at Radu and even began to help him pack.

"Y - You're not going to talk me out of it?" Radu asked.

"Nope," Goddard replied, handing Radu his clothes.

"No one sent you here?" 

"Rosie did," Goddard said truthfully. "She's really upset that you're going. You're her best friend, you know."

"I know," Radu replied quietly.

"I saw Harlan talking to Mattar as well," the Commander continued. "He's pretty steamed about the way the others are treating you. Matt agrees with him and they both hate to see you quit."

"Quit?" 

"Then Cat was talking to Suzee and they both said they're going to miss your conversations with them and the way you continue to defend Catalina when she's being teased about Suzee by the other students - even though they turn their torment on you."

Radu did not reply.

"Well, the principal said that the next transport to Andromeda leaves in a few hours, so if you're going to be aboard it, you should say your good byes now," Goddard zipped Radu's duffel bag closed.

"Y - Yeah," Radu agreed. "I guess you're right."

Radu held out his hand for the Commander to take. They shook and Radu smiled at his friend.

"Thanks for all the good times, Commander," he said.

"Your welcome," Goddard answered.

He pulled Radu closer for a hug. The Andromedan seemed abashed by the sign of affection, but returned the hug. He then shouldered his bag, took a last look at the dorm room, and left.

**********

The biosphere was full of the normal activities of after school life. Students gathered in groups among favorite spots and talked, did homework, or simply relaxed. Radu passed the tree where he and the other space cases so often did their work. He remembered the good times he hand and could almost hear the conversation of his friends.

He continued his walk, ignoring the whispered remarks and savoring his last stroll through the gardens. He paused to listen and engrave the sounds in his mind. The rustle of the artificial wind through the trees, the chirping of the birds, the laughter of the . . . birdbath? 

Radu thought that his ears had deceived him as he walked up to the ceramic fountain when another giggle escaped the water as a bird landed. Radu smiled as he realized what was going on and stuck a finger in the liquid, stirring the water vigorously.

"Ow!" an aqueous voice rippled. 

"Hi, Clito," Radu said, removing his wet finger. 

The water slithered out of the bath, leaving the astonished birds to find another way to keep clean. The puddle stopped in front of Radu's feet and reformed into the Neptunian Clito.

"Radu!" she exclaimed. Then, her expression changed. "What's with the bag?"

"I'm surprised Cat didn't tell you," Radu said. "I've quit Starcademy. I - I'm moving back to Andromeda."

"You're kidding," Clito said. 

Radu shook his head. Clito's green eyes widened and she embraced her friend in a fierce hug. Since the war, she and Mattar had grown closer to the space cases, spending all their time with them. Like Harlan and Matt, Clito had developed a deep relationship with Catalina but still regarded Radu as a close friend.

"When are you leaving?" Clito asked.

"A few minutes. I came to get a final look at the sphere before going," Radu replied.

"Transport 349 Alpha leaving docking bay B bound for Andromeda in three minutes," the intercom system announced.

"I guess you better go," Clito said.

"Yeah," Radu agreed. "Say bye to the others for me, will you?"

Clito nodded and Radu walked toward the entrance and exit of the biosphere. As he left, he heard wild applause behind him as the other members of Starcademy celebrated his departure. The only thing that kept in the hurt was the faint sniff of Clito, crying for her friend.

**********

Radu woke up at the same time as he did everyday and proceeded to the kitchen of his host-house for breakfast. Two months had past since the Starcademy's only Andromedan student had left and since then, Radu had become accepted back into his birth community.

His host-mother said nothing as a plate of what could only be called food came out of the replicator. Radu sat down and the family bent their heads in prayer. At first, the Andromedan religion had seemed foreign and confusing to Radu until he remembered his teachings from his childhood. Prayers were at morning meal, mid-day meal, evening meal, and before sleeping. All community members met in the principle temple for worship three times a week, where offerings were made. The community where Radu now lived had not seen the ravishes of the recent war and many of the Andromedans did not believe war had passed. 

"Time for chores," host-father said. 

Radu had grown accustomed to the soft voices of his people. After years of tuning out sounds and asking people to speak quieter, Radu had enjoyed the sympathy of his own race. It was one of the few things he enjoyed.

Radu and his host-siblings left the small house for their respective jobs. As they walked, Radu could hear the soft steps of the other children leaving their host-parents as well. The children of the community circulated among the adults, each spending a different set of days with a host-family until they reached adulthood themselves. 

The temple of the Andromedan god Spiros loomed high on a hill, overlooking the community. It was there that Radu had been placed, training to one day become a priest. It was rather ironic that this was his calling since he did not believe in the Andromedan religion. Nevertheless it was what he had been chosen to do, so he did it.

At the entrance to the temple, he bowed his head in prayer and slipped into the white robe of a trainee. He light the ceremonial candles and walked over to the room of the High priest.

"Conduct the morning service," the priest told him.

Radu bowed and turned to leave.

"386," the priest called after him.

Radu turned again.

"A message came for you from Starcademy. You may receive it after morning service."

Radu nodded once, turned and left.

**********

The smell of incense filled the temple as the service concluded. Radu bid farewell to the community as they left the temple for their proper chores. He then remembered the message that had been left for him. Slowly, he made his way to the intern lounge where the apprentices waited until the priest needed them.

The message screen blinked, indicating a saved message. Radu walked up to the screen and touched it. It recognized his finger prints and flashed to the next security code.

"Radu 386," Radu said.

"Voice match confirmed. Please stand by," the screen said.

Radu turned his head slightly, thinking he had heard something. When the sound did not return and the screen had finished loading, Radu turned back.

"DESTROY COMMUNITY LIFE!" the message flashed in large letters. "REUNITE ANDROMEDAN FAMILIES!"

Radu's eyes widened in shock. He looked around in hopes that the message had not been read by anyone else. When a large hand landed firmly on his shoulder, his heart sank.

"Come with us, Radu 386," the solider said. "You are guilty of jeopardizing the Andromedan community."

**********

Radu sat alone in his small cell. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him. He thought about what had happened, replaying the images in his head. He saw the shocked expressions of the church go-ers and of the High Priest as the soldiers escorted him out. He knew he would never again be permitted to enter this community.

The jail where he had been brought was constructed out of a concrete alloy that even the strongest Andromedan could not break. He had been given a gray uniform to wear with his number scratched onto the front in barely legible writing - 'R-386'. It was the first time his name had ever looked ugly. He vaguely wondered what Harlan and the others were doing.

His cell door slid open.

"Outside time," the guard said.

Radu did not move. The guard stepped into the cell and waved his hand in front of Radu's face. There was no response.

"Outside time," the guard repeated a bit louder.

Radu continued to stare at the wall. The guard reached into a pouch hanging from the belt he wore and took out a pair of ear plugs. He fitted them into his ears and lifted a kind of loudspeaker to Radu's ear. He pushed a button and the cell filled with a loud, piercing noise.

Radu's head snapped back violently and he clamped his hands over his sensitive ears. The guard increased the volume, which forced Radu to the ground. As he lay on the floor, gasping in pain, the guard turned off the loudspeaker and removed his ear plugs.

"R-386," the guard said. "It is time for you to go outside. There will be no more resistance, understood?"

Shaking, Radu nodded as he rose unsteadily to his feet. The guard firmly took his arm and pulled him out of the cell.

**********

Outside time, as the guards called it, was allowing the prisoners to walk in a giant, deserted courtyard. The ground was made of a finely ground sand and surrounded on all sides with high walls. Guards patrolled the area, carrying the loudspeakers and ear plugs. The prisoners were free for about an hour a day to wander around the courtyard before being ushered back inside.

Radu sat in silence with his back to the wall. He watched the guards walk around and saw the other prisoners conversing in small groups. He noticed with irony that most of the captives opposed the strict Andromedan way of life, yet unconsciously followed it when in prison. There was a distinct social ladder and the groups rarely spoke to each other. Members who somehow graduated to a higher group forgot the friends they left behind. Radu was not a part of any group, like he had been in the previous Andromedan society. When he spoke, it was freely with everyone he met, regardless of social borders which made him the subject of much ridicule and ultimately got him thrown in jail.

"Inside time," the guards called. 

The prisoners shuffled into the building, still in their groups. Radu watched them all pass before slowly rising to his feet and entering the building.

**********

They ate as a large group at the same time every day. Radu often sat by himself near the door, always watching. About three weeks after his arrest, someone came to sit next to him. 

"Hello," she said as she slid into the empty seat.

"Hi," Radu replied shortly.

The weeks of imprisonment had made Radu's temper short and his attitude worse. If one of his Starcademy friends had walked into the prison right then, they would not have believed the change.

"You're Radu 386, the prisoner who used to go to Starcademy, right?" the girl asked.

"Yes," Radu replied, coughing slightly.

"My name is Arista 118," she said. "I'm the one who sent the message to you."

She shrunk away as Radu turned slowly toward her. His pale face was turning red with anger as he slowly counted to ten in his mind to calm himself down. Before he could react, he experience a fit of coughing. Arista held up her hands in surrender and tried to help him. Radu shrugged her off. 

"I needed to speak to you," Arista said quickly. "You're like me. You don't belong and that's why you were sent to Starcademy, but you came back. I thought that if I got you here, it would be easier for us to escape."

"If I was already free," Radu retorted, "why would I need to escape?"

"To spread the word," Arista explained. "I know you agree with our cause. I know you long to meet the parents who were forced to put you in a hatchery and never meet you. I know you think this way of life is unfair."

"I'm not an activist," Radu coughed. "I - I don't want to be responsible for the destruction of my home planet. I don't want a rebellion."

"Neither do we," Arista insisted. "If we can convince the government to let parents raise their own eggs, we can become a better society, like . . . "

"Earth?" Radu replied.

Arista nodded. Radu looked at her as he digested her words. She was slightly shorter than he was, with long, blond hair and the same blue eyes as him. 

"Earth isn't all it's made out to be, you know," Radu said, his tone softer than before. "Earther's are incredible braggarts," he thought about Harlan briefly. "Earth families generally seem to be perfect, but if parents aren't cut out to be parents, the child is stuck and can become emotionally unstable. I learned a lot of Earth history at Starcademy and I can tell you Earth is not paradise." 

He finished his comment with another fit of coughing.

"But their system is better than ours," Arista insisted.

Radu shrugged. "I don't know. Having a community raise a child from an egg gives the child the strength and knowledge of the community. Andromedans rarely know sadness or anger and we make each other complete. I don't know. Maybe it's the Earthers who have it wrong."

Arista looked into his eyes for a few seconds and then rose and left. Radu watched her disappear into the crowd and finished his meal.

**********

He found a note in his cell as he returned that night. The guard saw him reach for it and picked it up first. He quickly skimmed the contents before passing it to Radu. Radu waited until the guard had gone before reading it.

Radu - 

Remember our conversation. If you want to speak more about what we talked about, I'll see you next Outside

Time.

- Arista

Radu shoved the note into his pocket as he lay down to sleep. The guards shouted "Light's out!" and the prison was plunged into darkness. As he drifted to sleep, he wondered how Arista knew so much about his desires.

**********

"I can't believe he's been gone for more than two months and hasn't even spoken to any of us!" Catalina cried.

Harlan lay on his back, squinting in the artificial light of the biosphere. They sat under their usual tree and spoke of their most talked about topic - Radu.

"He's probably just busy," Rosie said.

"Or in trouble," Bova added.

Catalina finished pacing and sat between Harlan and Matt. The Mercurian boy was sitting as close as he dared to Rosie with Bova on the other side, sitting as close as he dared. Rosie was between them, indifferent to both their desperate cries for attention.

Clito sat by Harlan's feet, absently strumming music on her hand held harp. She watched Catalina with a look of concern.

"Why don't we send him a message?" she suggested.

Catalina looked at the Neptunian with an expression of sheer joy. She jumped to her feet and embraced her friend.

"Clito," she said, "you're a genius. Let's go."

"What, now?" Harlan complained. "We can do it tomorrow. It's the first day of break and I want to enjoy it."

"Are you going home?" Matt asked.

"No," Harlan answered, sitting up. "The Admiral will be there and, as much as I love my mother, I don't want to see his stern face the entire break."

"I think I might visit home for a few weeks," Rosie said. "It's been so long since I've seen my mom and dad."

"I'm staying here," Bova said, "like usual."

Catalina sat back down. The group was silent for a while, listening to Clito's music. Finally, a grin spread over the Saturnian's face. She turned to face the others.

"Uh oh," Harlan said.

"Why don't we go to Andromeda and surprise Radu with a visit?" she suggested. "We're all practically war heroes, we can get Radu's address from the government and maybe talk him into coming home."

"Sounds fun," Rosie agreed. "I didn't get time to see much of Andromeda during the war."

"Great," Catalina said. "I'll check the times for transports leaving and we can get out of here. Won't Radu be surprised!"

**********

Radu waited for Arista outside in the courtyard. It was the first time he had walked around the courtyard since his imprisonment and the guards eyed him suspiciously, as if he were up to something. Finally, she arrived.

"I'm not sure if I agree with your cause," Radu said, "but I'll do anything to get out of here."

Arista nodded and led Radu to a secluded part of the courtyard. There, she revealed to him her plans for escape.

**********

The transport touched down two days after Catalina's decision to visit Andromeda. The cadets wore their uniforms and the medals they had received after sneaking into the Spung ship to rescue Radu. Although Andromedans were wary of the cadets, they treated them hospitably and they were permitted to see the governor. 

The governor was most persistent in not revealing the location of Radu's community, but Harlan eventually charmed the information out of her. The six Starcademy cadets piled into a ground transport and were taken to Radu's adoptive community.

**********

Radu lay in his cell, staring at the ceiling. He heard a bird chirping outside his window and the steady, predictable steps of the guards as they made their rounds. For the first time in the month and a half of his captivity, Radu smiled. In a few night's time, he and Arista would be breaking out.

He heard the guard stop outside his door and the key turn in the lock. The door swung open.

"Visitors," the guard said.

Without a word, Radu followed the guard to the visitors area. When the door opened and he saw his guest, his eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Radu gasped.

Catalina smiled at him. "Surprise," she said.

The guard indicated they had thirty minutes and left. Catalina looked at her friend with sad eyes. Radu was shackled at the wrists and ankles with heavy chains and he was much paler and thinner than she remembered. He sat down in the chair across from her and tried his best to smile. She saw that it was a strain.

"School's done for the year," Cat said. "We thought we'd come and see how you were doing."

"Everyone's here?" Radu asked.

Cat nodded. "They would only let one of us in, so I was elected to see how you were."  
"Could be better," Radu said with a weak smile.

He began to cough violently and almost fell out of his chair. Catalina stood up to help him, but the face of the guard at the window told her to leave him alone. In a few minutes, he had regained control.

"You're sick," Catalina stated.

"Everyone here is sick," Radu said. "You get used to it."

"We have to get you out of here," she whispered.

"Don't worry," Radu winked. "I'll be fine. You guys should get out of here." He began to cough again.

"There's fifteen minutes left," Cat said. "I'll see if they'll let Rosie in to take a look at that cough."

Before Radu could protest, Catalina had gone. A few minutes later, Rosie appeared. Radu felt the room grow warmer as she entered and was embarrassed by the look of shock he received from her.

"Hello, Rosie," he wheezed.

"Oh, Radu," Rosie cried, rushing over to embrace her friend. "What have they done to you?"

"I'm fine," Radu insisted. "Just a cough."

"Time's up," a guard said.

"I just got here," Rosie protested.

"Time's up," the guard repeated, grabbing Radu roughly by the arm. 

Radu stumbled after the guard, leaving Rosie in the visitor's room staring after him.

**********

Three days later, Arista made her move. Members of the resistance movement had slipped her the plans of the prison months before Radu had even arrived. They had highlighted the weaknesses of the prison as well as a complicated underground sewer network that would lead them safely to a nearby lake. A large field and several hills blocked the lake from view of the prison and they would finally be free. 

As Radu sat in his cell, waiting for the guards to shut off the lights, he wondered about his friends. Would they be safe once he had escaped? Would they return to the prison to find him missing? Would they be imprisoned because of it? He shook his head to clear his mind of unanswerable questions. 

"Lights out," the guards called.

The prison plummeted into darkness and Radu lay down. As the first of the three nightly guards passed his cell, he appeared to be asleep. He even slowed his heart-rate and breathing to keep the guard's suspicions down. The guard passed.

Radu awoke from the light doze he had been in to see Arista's face peering at him from the doorway. Radu sat up quickly and brushed the sleep from his eyes. Arista opened the door silently and motioned for him to follow her. 

He snuck out and became all to aware of the thumping of his heart. Arista looked at him over her shoulder and he tried to calm down - unsuccessfully.

They made it to the outside courtyard where the resistance had found a weak part of the wall. With both their strength, they would be able to break it.

"On three," Arista whispered. "One . . . Two . . . "

"Halt," a stern voice said behind them.

They turned slowly to see five armed guards pointing loudspeakers at them. They all wore ear plugs. Radu gave a sad look at his partner as the noise began. He was on the floor in seconds and, a few minutes after that, lost consciousness.

**********

Harlan and Clito strolled up to the prison gate. Harlan held a box in his hands, a present for Radu. Clito carried a canteen of fresh water for their friend and stood a few paces away from Harlan as he knocked at the gate.

"Who goes there?" a guard demanded.

"Harlan Band of Earth and Clito of Neptune to see prisoner R-386," Harlan said.

"Impossible," the guard replied. 

"Why?" Harlan demanded.

There was a slight pause on the other end. A new voice answered his question.

"One of you may enter," it said. 

The gates swung open.

**********

Harlan stood in the office of the warden. He held the box and the canteen in his hand. The warden sat behind a large desk. The room was decorated in large furniture, with a detailed map of the prison hanging on the wall. Strange, imported plants lines a large window to the right of the desk.

The warden was a typical adult Andromedan - tall, strong, and quiet. His hair was a light brown and almost reached the ground. His eyes were dark and penetrated Harlan's gaze as he stood nervously in front of the desk.

"Are you aware of prisoner R-386's connections with the Andromedan Resistance?" the warden asked.

"Sir," Harlan replied, "I don't know what that is, but I can assure you Radu is no terrorist!"

The warden dipped his head. "Then why was he attempting to escape last week with the known leader of the resistance?"

Harlan's eyes widened in surprise and his jaw dropped. The warden gave a half smile at the Earther's reaction.

"He was caught red handed and has since been sentenced to solitary confinement with possible execution depending on his trial," the warden said.

"Execution?"

The warden nodded. "I do not know what it is like on your planet, but here, criminals accused of disrupting out society are destroyed."

Harlan was silent for a few minutes. The warden sat back in his chair, smiling at the Earther and watching him with his dark eyes. Finally, Harlan spoke.

"If I can't see him, can you deliver this present to him?"

The warden sat up abruptly. "Give it to me. I must search it."

Harlan put the box on the desk. He opened it and pulled out a rainbow coloured quilt. He searched it for hidden pockets, found none, and replaced it into the box.

"That's from Catalina," Harlan told him.

The warden next removed a small vial of brownish liquid. He removed the lid and sniffed it.

"Cough medicine," Harlan explained. "From Rosie."

The warden nodded and put it back in the box. He next picked up the canteen and smelled the contents.

"Fresh water," Harlan said.

The warden took a glass and poured it into a cup. He took another sniff and tasted a small sip. Satisfied, he checked the canteen for hidden pockets and returned both the box and canteen to Harlan.

"These are appropriate gifts for him while he sits alone in solitary confinement," the warden noted.

Harlan thanked him. The warden sent for a guard, who took the gifts to deliver to Radu. Harlan was then escorted out of the prison.

**********

Radu had been alone in the dark for a long time. He did not know how long, having lost track of all time. He only knew when it was time to eat by the sliding of food into the cell. Even the jailers did not speak. 

He spent his time lost in thought, wondering where Arista was. A few times, he thought he was back on the Christa and this was a strange dream. He tried calling for Harlan, Bova, and even Thelma a few times to see if he was going insane but no one ever answered.

The door slid open and Radu squinted against the sudden light. A jailer came in carrying his food, a box, and a circular object. To Radu's surprise, he left the lantern in the cell as he left. Radu quickly snatched the food and began eating ravenously. He then carefully opened the box.

As he drew out the beautiful quilt and wrapped himself inside it, he saw a note flitter to the floor. Coughing slightly, he reached for it and read it by the dim light of the jailer's lantern.

Radu - 

We can't let you stay like this forever. You are probably homesick by now as well. Do not drink the water from the canteen - let it drain on the floor instead. We have given you a surprise to help you through.

Love,

Your Friends

Radu thought it odd that his friends would give him a canteen of water and not let him drink it. He thought at first it might be a trick. He ate his food and stared at the container, wondering what to do next. He drank the stale water given to him with his meal as he pondered the note, still wrapped in his quilt. He drank some of Rosie's medicine, found it disgusting, and finally decided to trust his friends. He picked up the canteen and unscrewed the lid. Then, he carefully dumped it into a crack on the floor.

**********

Arista followed the guards bravely. Her hands were bound behind her back as she was led to her death. Ahead, she saw the cup that contained her destiny. The poison was by no means painless - in fact, it ensured her a very painful death. She was seated in front of it as the warden stared at the clock, minutes away from her execution time.

**********

Radu almost wept with joy when Clito appeared in front of him. She had stowed away in the canteen, holding her liquid form for as long as she could until Radu released her. They embraced and were interrupted by Radu's sudden fit of coughing. 

Clito opened her mouth to speak, but Radu stopped her, pointing at his own ears. Clito understood immediatly - any Andromedan would hear her voice. She took the note from Radu's hands and wrote on the back.

Do you know where your friend is?

Radu shook his head no. 

Is she in danger?

Radu nodded vigorously. Clito motioned for him to stay where he was. She wrote a final message on the note and smiled at her friend. She then liquefied herself and disappeared under the door. Radu looked at the note one final time.

Put these earplugs in after I leave.

He found the earplugs in the bottom of the box and quickly did as he was told. Radu was left alone again and he stared at the bright colours of his quilt as the lantern died and he was in darkness again.

**********

Arista sat, staring at the contents of the cup. She had a guard at both sides and another in front, staring at her. The warden and the governor sat to one side, watching the clock intently. 

"Attention!" the warden cried.

All eyes snapped to the clock as the seconds were counted down. When it reached five, the guard in front of Arista picked up the cup and held it to the prisoner's mouth. The guards at each side held her arms down.

"Begin," the warden ordered.

The liquid was poured down Arista's throat. The guards stepped back and watched. Arista went into convulsions, foam appearing at the corner's of her mouth. She leapt up and down in her chair, squirming to be rid of the poison that coursed through her veins. In about a minute, it was over. She lay limp in the chair, the table knocked over and the cup lying on its side on the floor.

"Throw her out back," the warden ordered. "She died dishonourably and deserves to rot with the other garbage."

The guards picked Arista's body up and dragged it to the back of the prison. It was taken well beyond the prison walls and thrown near the lake. 

As Arista lay there, a small droplet of liquid escaped from her slightly open lips. It lay quivering beside her head for a moment, before expanding and taking humanoid shape. Clito lay next to Arista, trembling from the exertion of diluting the poison.

**********

The sun had long since set over the heavily guarded prison. On the high walls, guards patrolled without end. Five shadows slipped in next to the wall. Unseen by the guards, the patrols continued.

Suddenly, a sonic blast shattered the air. The guards fell to their knees, clutching their ears in pain. The wall cracked and broke, leaving a hole large enough for the five shadows to pass through. As the echo of the sonic blast died down, another took up the call, forcing the guards down again.

Four of the shadows raced through the prison. Guards came to get them, only to be met by a wall of intense heat. 

**********

Radu heard the commotion, even through the earplugs Clito had given him. The sonic screams had been muted, but still distinctly recognizable. 

The door fell open as Bova sent a few hundred watts of electricity through the hinges, weakening the metal. Harlan reached in and grabbed Radu's hand.

"C'mon, c'mon," Harlan hurried.

Radu, happy to be free of the small hole, smiled from ear to ear as he followed his friends.

Matt and Rosie guarded the entrance with a combined wall of heat. The guards on the other side kept a large distance as the two Mercurians rose to super nova temperatures, melting the bars of several empty cells. When the others had safely passed by, they left their post and ran after.

Catalina held the other guards at bay with her sonic screams. She kept their escape route clear as the guards tried to capture her. Several were unconscious on the ground while others kept a few feet away to be safe. When she saw Radu, she hurried him through the hole and followed close behind.

The escapees ran toward the lake as the siren indicating a jail break sounded. By the time the guards were organized enough to follow, the space cases were long gone.

**********

Radu sat in the land speeder surrounded by friends. Harlan drove it quickly away from the prison with Matt and Bova sitting next to him in the front and Catalina and Rosie with Radu in the back. In all the excitement, Radu had not taken the quilt off his shoulders and he snuggled into it now, to sleep.

"Cat," he mumbled as he dozed off.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Clito?"

"At the rendezvous point with your friend. Don't worry, just rest."

Radu coughed violently and was soon asleep. 

**********

Clito had half carried, half dragged the still unconscious Arista to the meeting point. She had been prepared to free Radu's friend from a cell, not diluting a potent poison to keep it from killing her. In the end, it worked out. All she needed now was rest.

She must have dozed off because when she next opened her eyes, the sun had moved a considerable distance in the sky. Arista lay next to her, sleeping peacefully, with no after effects of the poison showing. She heard the approaching noise of a land speeder and she hurried to hide herself.

When the speeder stopped and several figures emerged, Clito crept from her hiding spot and went to join them. Harlan led the way with Bova close behind. Matt and Catalina supported Radu on their shoulders and Rosie came up from behind.

"How did it go?" Harlan asked.

"Harder than expected," Clito answered, "but she is alive."

Radu went to where Arista lay and stared at Clito in amazement. 

"How did you save her?" he asked. "The guards said she was dead!"

"Andromedans kill their prisoners through poison," Clito began.

"Why poison?" Rosie asked.

"Because not much else can penetrate their thick skins," Bova answered.

"I snuck into the cup in liquid form and diluted the poison seconds before they forced her to drink it. She still went through the convulsions of death and eventually passed out. The guards didn't even check for vial signs - they just threw her outside as if she were garbage," Clito finished. 

"Thank you," Radu said simply.

Catalina and Harlan helped Clito, Arista, and Radu back into the speeder and they headed into the country side, away from the prison and the guards who continued their search.

**********

Arista woke up a short while later as they flew down the roads. The sun was just beginning to rise, leaving the incident at the prison in the darkness of the previous night. She was confused at first, but after being provided with an explanation from Clito, she thanked everyone profusely and settled in to enjoy the ride.

Harlan stopped at a small town, miles away from the city and the prison. He knew the governor and the warden expected them to flee off the planet, so they decided to lay low for a while until it was safe to book passage back to the academy.

"I know where we can be safe," Arista said. "It's not far."

Harlan followed her directions. As they traveled, Radu spoke of his time in prison.

"That's horrible!" Rosie exclaimed when he had finished.

Radu nodded and wrapped the rainbow quilt tighter around his shoulders.

"Do you still want to stay on this planet?" Cat asked.

Arista turned abruptly at this comment. Her eyes were full of the same question. Radu shifted his gaze from Cat to Arista as he tried to answer.

"I don't think I'll ever be safe on this planet," Radu said. "I - I don't think I have a choice."

"You always have a choice," Arista said. "Wait a while before you decide what to do. There are people I want you to meet."

"I suppose they're going to take away our medals for this," Bova said. "It's just as well."  
"Why is that, Bova?" Rosie asked.

"No reason," Bova replied. "Only that we went from heroes to wanted criminals in less than two days."

They all fell silent after that comment. Harlan kept driving. In a few minutes, they were at a small farm and Arista told them to stop. They climbed out of the car and headed to the farm on foot.

**********

The farm backed onto a mountain range that was dotted with caves. Arista led her rescuers through the mouth of one of the caves and into a strange network of tunnels. She made so many twists and turns that Harlan and the others found it hard to keep up with her and even Radu had to struggle to maintain his sense of direction. Finally, Arista led them into a large cavern deep within the heart of the mountain. As they entered, they all gasped at the complex community hidden from prying eyes.

Families lived in small huts along the sides of the enormous cavern. Andromedan children ran and played in the streets under the watchful eyes of parents. A hatchery had been set up for eggs to incubate before the newborn baby was returned to the mother's hands. Stores and stands lined another area of the cavern with tradesmen, merchants and craftsmen all working together to provide for the community.

"This is amazing," Radu murmured. 

Arista stood proudly beside him, beaming with pleasure.

"Wow," Catalina managed. "This is just like - "

"Just like Earth," Harlan said approvingly. "Good choice."

A hovercar pulled up next to them and Arista entered. The others followed her and the car sped off.

"This is a safe haven for all those who wish to raise their own young, speak their own ideas and control their own lives. We have over a thousand families living here and enough room for hundreds more," Arista said.

"How do you feed them all?" Bova asked.

The car sped down a separate tunnel that glowed with rows of fluorescent lights. Another cavern, smaller than the first, opened before them. 

Rows of vegetables, fruits, and other crops grew in straight, controlled rows with the help of overhead lights. Farmers toiled the soil, moving rocks and planting seeds. 

"We grow what we can in here by bringing soil from the outside and spreading it onto the ground. Anything we can't grow in here is grown in enormous quantities on the farm we passed outside and brought in here," Arista explained.

The car sped through the plantation and back into the tunnel. Arista and the driver both put on ear muffs similar to the ones Radu used to sleep with back at Starcademy. Arista handed a pair to Radu and he quickly put them on.

"What are those for?" Rosie asked.

Her answer was a loud, rumbling sound from inside the next cavern they were approaching. As the car passed under a low outcropping of rock, a magnificent waterfall could be seen. It fell hundreds of feet into a large basin of water as large as any Earth ocean. The other members of the group put their hands over their ears and stared in awe.

At the water's edge were a few Andromedans who were repairing a large pipe that led from the basin into another, smaller tunnel. Arista waved at the workers as the car picked up speed to leave the loud place behind them. Carefully, the three Andromedans in the car removed their muffs.

"What was that pipe?" Clito asked.

"Indoor running water," Arista answered. "We do have a number of engineers working with us down here. Our waste is filtered through a nearby swamp land and sent into the lake near the prison."

Radu shuddered as Arista mentioned that place. The car passed through a few empty tunnels and back into the main cavern. It slowed to a stop in front of the largest building and the space cases piled out. Arista thanked the driver and the car left.

"This is the centre of government of our underground colony. We call it New Andromeda. The government is modeled after Earth's democracy," Arista told them. "They're in session now, so I can't show you the inside, but I have something better for you, Radu."

She took Radu's hand and led him to a small hut on one side of the street. She opened the door and called out a greeting to anyone who may be home. As Radu stood timidly behind Arista and his friends hovered in the doorway, two adult Andromedans came out of a side room. 

They both had blond hair, like Radu and Arista, and the same blue eyes. The female was short with high cheekbones and smaller ears than the male. The male stood a full head taller than his mate with hair that spiraled down his back almost to the floor. They stood very close to each other, the male with his arm around the female's shoulders and the female with her arm around the male's waist. Arista went to them and gave them each a hug.

"Radu," she said, turning back to her guest, "I'd like you to meet Ayla and Udar, our parents."

"Our parents?" Radu repeated, staring at the older Andromedans in shock.

"Yes," Arista nodded, taking Radu's hand. "I am your sister."

**********

Harlan, Catalina, Clito, Bova, Rosie, and Mattar stood outside Radu's parent's house. Their friend had been talking privately with the family he had never known for hours. Harlan paced nervously and Cat followed him with her eyes as she leaned against the wall of the cavern. Clito sat on the ground with Rosie, making shapes out of loose stones and Bova and Matt hovered over the little Mercurian protectively.

"Do you think he's going to stay?" Cat asked suddenly.

"He better not," Harlan replied. "Think of how dull school would be without him."

"Think how dull school was without him," Rosie amended. "He did miss an entire semester."

Clito stood and stretched in one fluid movement. "Yeah. Vacation has only just started," she reminded them all.

The door swung open and the four Andromedans came out. Ayla had her arm around Radu's shoulders and Arista held his hand. Udar walked behind them, smiling. The cadets could not remember seeing their friend more happy.

Radu separated from his family and headed for his friends. They all watched him anxiously, waiting for his decision.

"They've asked me to stay," Radu stammered. "If I do, we'll be the first complete family in New Andromeda."

Cat's eyes began to water and she buried her face in Harlan's shoulder to hide the tears. Rosie stepped forward, her face also tear streaked.

"We're happy for you, Radu," she said. "You'll be missed."

Radu nodded. "I'm sure they will miss me," he said with a smile.

Catalina took her head out of Harlan's shoulder. "You mean . . . . ?"

"Loyalty is an Andromedan's greatest strength," Radu said. "And right now, my loyalty is to my friends. I'm going back to Starcademy, if they'll take me."

His friends all cheered and gathered around Radu. He was uncomfortable at first, but soon gave into their affectionate hugs. His family watched from their doorway. Finally, Radu turned.

"Ayla, Udar, Arista," he said. "I'll keep in touch with you. I will return when I'm a StarDog and we'll free all the eggs from the hatcheries."

"We'll be waiting," Ayla said.

"We're proud of you, son," Udar added.

Radu wiped away a tear and smiled. A car came by and honked, letting them know it was time to leave. The cadets piled into the vehicle and sped away.

"How does it feel?" Harlan asked.

"How does what feel?" Radu said.

"Having a family."

Radu smiled at his friend. "Perfect," he replied.


	3. The Odd Couple

THE ODD COUPLE

The synthetic clouds rolled lazily through the mock sky of the biosphere. Birds from many different planets circled slowly in the air as a cool breeze pushed its way through the heat. Modeled after Earth's North American climate, the biosphere went through the same unpredictable weather changes as a normal planet to help the Starcademy's human students feel more at home. 

It was the beginning of the last month of summer holidays. Most of the cadets had left for their home planets, visiting the relatives and friends they had left behind. However, the school was not completely deserted. A handful of students and teachers remained in the Starcademy, preferring the uncharacteristic quiet of the school than the crowdedness of their own planets. Others simply did not have a home to return to. 

"What do you want to do?" Harlan asked, stretching lazily. 

"I don't know," Radu answered, rolling out of the way as his friend's arms swept past. "What do you want to do?"

The space cases sat around their usual tree, overcome with boredom. Harlan and Radu lay on their backs, watching the clouds while Cat and Rosie played a game of Saturnian cards. Clito strummed her harp, absently humming a tune while Matt read a compupad. 

"Aren't you supposed to be going home?" Cat asked Harlan without looking up from her game.

Harlan sighed. "Yeah. Mom's been bugging me to come home, but with the Admiral there, I would rather be here. Still, she won the argument, like she always does. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"I though Admiral Cody went to a StarDog meeting somewhere in the Delta system," Matt remarked, raising his eyes slightly from his compupad. 

Harlan's face brightened and he sat up. "Really? That's terrific! Now I can really enjoy the time alone with Mom."

"How long are you going to be gone for?" Cat asked.

"A few weeks," Harlan answered. "Wanna come? I'm sure Mom would love to meet you."

Cat smiled. "Sure! If it's okay with your mom."

"I'm going home tomorrow, too," Rosie remarked, putting down her cards. "I can't wait to see my family."

"I'm leaving then, too," Clito said. "Bran said he was going to pick me up at the docking bay."

"Who's Bran?" Matt asked.

"My boyfriend back home," she answered. "I haven't seen him in ages!"

Radu sat up and pulled his knees close to his chest. "I'm staying here - again." 

"Why not go visit Arista?" Cat suggested. "I'm sure your parents would want to see you, too." 

Radu smiled. "You don't know how nice it is to hear that," he remarked. "I can't. I don't think I'd ever be able to get a transport there. Remember, I'm a wanted criminal." 

"Come with us," Harlan suggested. "I'm sure Mom won't mind. Besides, I've always told you that I'd bring you to Earth one day." 

Radu nodded. "Sure. Thanks." 

"I guess Bova is already home," Rosie said.

Radu thought he heard a touch of regret in his friend's voice. "Yeah, he left early this morning."

Rosie stared up at the sky, the everlasting stars of space barely visible through the synthetic blueness of the sky.

_I wonder what he's thinking_, Rosie wondered.

**********

_I hate this place,_ Bova thought.

He was sitting alone in his parent's house watching his father, Benn and his mother, Bernice, complain about the day they've been having. Bova had been home for just under three Uranus hours before the gloomy atmosphere of his home planet - or moon, to be more specific - had made him realize why he had left.

"Bova, do you want to visit Lineland?" Benn asked. "I'm sure you have better things to do . . . "

"No, dad," Bova interrupted. "I'll come."

His father shrugged and left the building. Bernice stood at the doorway, muttering pessimistic comments under her breath. Bova's younger sister, Betha and his older brother, Benji were already in the hover car.

"Don't get into any accidents," Bernice called. "Not that my saying that will prevent it when it happens."

"Bye, Mom!" Bova waved to his mother as they drove off.

His sister and brother stared at him in shock. Bova looked from one face to the other. "What?"

"You sounded - " Betha struggled for the final word, " - cheery."

"Yeah, I think someone has been spending too much time away," Benji added.

"Not that we missed you or anything," Betha continued. 

Bova rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of him. He sighed and stared straight ahead as his father drove.

**********

Lineland was packed as usual. Bova and his family trudged from the hover car to the ticket gate. Hundreds of Uranusians stood in line for the tickets, only to enter the park and stand in line again for the exit. 

_Fun for the whole family_, Bova thought gloomily.

He couldn't help but wonder if he really was becoming more like Rosie. Thinking of the bright eyed Mercurian made him realize how much he missed her. _It's only for a month_, he told himself. _Then it's back to school, but at least I'll be able to see her again._

Benn stood in front of Bova, with Betha and Benji behind them. Betha talked about her school and how they were preparing to celebrate the Year of the Ingrown Toenail. Bova knew about the celebrations that occurred every Toenail year and couldn't wait to be away from this place and back at Starcademy.

"Son, I need to talk to you," Benn said, turning around abruptly.

"What's up, Dad?" Bova asked.

"I'm sure you've forgotten her, but Yazria is coming to visit later today," Benn said.

Memories of his childhood came flooding back to him. Bova remembered his first meeting with the young Yazria.

**********

He had only been about six years old, his antennae hardly more than stubs growing from his forehead. Friends of the family had come by and brought their daughter Yazria with them. She was about Bova's age, maybe slightly younger, but still beautiful. Her parents had brought her to Bova's room and left to chat about how gloomy the weather had been lately. 

"Hi!" Yazria had said brightly.

"Hi," Bova had replied.

"I'm Yazria and one day, we're going to live together!"

"Okay," Bova had agreed. "Do you wanna play?"

**********

That had been the beginning. Now, ten years later, her name had come up again. Bova could hardly contain his surprise.

"I remember Yazria," Bova said, trying to sound casual. "What about it?"

"Her parents have brought her over for her wedding," Benn continued. "I'm not surprised you forgot about that. We arranged it when you both were born. Not that it matters now, since you're both of age."

_Wedding!?_ "What are you talking about?" Bova demanded.

"Your wedding, son," Benn said, his voice as close as it could be to proud. "Next week, you're getting married to Yazria."

**********

The transport for Mercury left the Starcademy right on schedule. Rosie and Matt sat next to each other as the ship made a direct hyper jump to Mercury's upper atmosphere. The trip took only a few hours, so Rosie had brought plenty to do. She picked up her compupad and started on her cross word puzzle.

**********

"Rosie, wake up," Matt shook her shoulder. "We're here."

Rosie cracked open her eyes and stared at Matt's face. She rubbed her face, stretched and sat up. The compupad with the unstarted cross word puzzle was still in her hand as she looked around in confusion.

"We're here?" Rosie asked. "But, we just left!"

Matt laughed. "We left, you fell asleep, and now we're here."

Rosie gathered her stuff and stood. Her legs felt stiff from sitting in one position for the past few hours and he head felt foggy from the interrupted nap. She passed through the airlock, saying a thank you to the attendants, and entered Mercury's Spaceport.

The place was crowded, like usual. Rosie found it strange, yet comforting seeing hundreds of bald, pink heads in one port. She spotted young children with regulator helmets on, like what she used to wear before she could fully control her powers. What pleased her the most were her parents, standing in full view, waving to her.

She forgot all about Mattar and ran into her father's arms. He hugged her close, passed her to her mother and Rosie glowed with happiness. When her mother put her down, she glanced around for Matt. She spotted him meeting someone whom she assumed was his father and turned back to her own family.

"Mom, Dad, it's great to see you again!" Rosie cried.

"It's nice to see you too, honey," Dalia said. "Let's head home. I know there are two pets at home who are dying to see you!"

Rosie's smile widened as she remembered Sunspot and Nimbus, her two pets. Gunter picked up his daughter's suitcase and they headed home.

**********

Radu gripped the sides of his seat and stared straight ahead. Beside him, Catalina slept while Harlan played a game on his compupad.

"Final docking procedures are now underway," an announcer said.

Radu refrained from commenting. He had been listening to the ship's engines slowing down, the airlock extending to meet the ship and even the sound of the captain drinking his coffee as the auto pilot docked the ship.

"Hey, are you okay?" Harlan asked.

"Fine," Radu replied a little too quickly. 

Harlan gave the Andromedan a sidelong glance that indicated he didn't believe his friend. Radu forced himself to smile as Harlan gently woke Catalina up.

"We're here already?" she yawned.

"Earth is the closest planet to the Starcademy," Harlan reminded her proudly.

Catalina smiled at him and looked over at Radu. Her eyes narrowed and one eyebrow shot up inquisitively.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing," Radu said nervously. "I'm - I'm just worried, that's all."

"About what?" Harlan laughed, tossing Radu's bag to him.

"About Earthers," Radu replied, catching the bag. "There are a lot of people who didn't believe that Andromedans were fighting against them because of the hatchery. You didn't believe it at first, Harlan, I don't know about everyone else."

Harlan's amused face sobered up. Catalina looked from her boyfriend to the Andromedan.

"I - I don't want to be made fun of or be forced to defend myself against anyone," Radu continued. "The war that just ended won't help either."

Catalina stood and put her arm comfortingly around Radu's shoulder. "If anyone give you any trouble, we'll deal with them together," she said.

Harlan nodded in agreement. Radu smiled at him, but felt less comforted by Catalina's remark than he should have felt.

**********

Yazria had changed a lot since she was six. She stood about half an inch taller than Bova, with long, black hair that reached her waist and large brown eyes accented with long, thick lashes. She was petit and thin with the features of a finely crafted china doll. Like all Uranusian females, she did not possess antennae, but could channel electricity through her long fingers.

"Hi," she said to Bova as he returned from Lineland.

Bova could not reply. He stood in awe of her beauty. She blushed and turned her head, allowing her hair to veil her features.

Benn put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You could do better," he said, "but she's pretty good."

Bova turned to his father. "Let me try and do better," he implored. "I don't want to get married."

"Nonsense," Benn said. "Benji got married at your age, I got married at your age and Betha has been paired off since birth as well. Marry the girl."

Bova sighed, resigned to his fate.

**********

Rosie hummed to herself as she walked down the sunny side of the street to the mailbox. She had been home for almost a whole week and had settled into the routine she had left behind. In no time, she had the mail and was heading back. 

As she walked, she noticed an envelope addressed to her. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at it. It had no return address, but the writing looked remarkably familiar. She tore open the envelope and read the card inside.

****

Bova and Yazria request the honour of your attendance at their wedding on the 12th day of the Year of the Ingrown Toenail.

Rosie stared at the message in shock. Bova? Getting married? Why hadn't he mentioned it before? She forgot about her joy of being home and ran back to her house.

**********

"Honey, there's mail for you and your guests," Harlan's mom called.

It had been about two earth weeks since Harlan, Catalina, and Radu had arrived on Earth. Despite his best efforts, Radu found it incredibly hard to relax while on this planet. He found it remarkable that Harlan's mom, of all people, bared no malice toward him. After all, it was his people who killed her first husband.

Harlan got the three envelopes and ripped his open. Cat and Radu did the same.

When he was done reading the card, Harlan blinked a few times and reread it. Catalina raised her head, shock evident on her face, and let the card drift from limp fingers to the floor.

"I guess we're going to Uranus," Radu said.

**********

Rosie dialed the number again. She had to talk to someone and right now, there was only one person she could think of who would understand.

"Hello?" the woman on the other side of the pictophone said.

"Radu, please," Rosie said. 

The woman smiled. "You must be Rosie. Harlan has told me a lot about you. I'll go get Radu now."

"Thank you," Rosie said as Harlan's mother left.

In a few minutes, a familiar face appeared on the screen. Rosie could hardly contain her excitement at seeing her best friend.

"Hi, Rosie," Radu said. "What's up?"

At his words, Rosie forgot her joy at seeing him and remembered her misery about Bova. With a moan of uncharacteristic sadness, Rosie poured out her grief to her best friend. She told him about the wedding and how much she hated to see Bova get married. Radu listened with his usual Andromedan patience before interrupting her monologue.

"Why are you so upset at seeing Bova get married?" Radu asked.

Rosie stopped short. "I don't know," she confessed. "I guess I think he's too young."

"Is that the only reason?" Radu prodded.

_Curse that Andromedan_, Rosie thought. _He hears more than words sometimes._

"Put Cat on the phone," Rosie said abruptly. "I want to speak to her."

Without a word of good bye, Radu was gone from the screen. In a few seconds, Catalina was in his place.

"Rosie! You poor thing!" she said sympathetically.

**********

Harlan and Radu sat in Harlan's room. The Earther was playing with a white ball and a leather glove, throwing the ball and catching it with the glove. He called it catch' with a baseball' and a mitt'. Radu shrugged at the strangeness of the game as he looked through some old compupads. 

"What did Rosie want to know?" Harlan asked.

Radu shrugged. "She's upset that Bova's getting married. I guess she just wanted to talk."

"Did you ask her if she's going?" Harlan asked.

Radu shook his head, his long hair slapping his shoulders. "I didn't have time. She wanted to speak with Cat."

"You did something to upset her," Harlan said critically.

Radu stared at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"If she wanted to speak with you so badly, why did she brush you off so suddenly? You must have said something wrong."  
An expression of worry passed over Radu's Andromedan features. He half stood to go and apologize, but Harlan stopped him.

"Don't take it so hard," Harlan said. "You know Rosie, she'll apologize. C'mon, let's go play catch."

Radu was on his feet, following Harlan out the door.

**********

Catalina joined the two boys outside a few minutes later. She shot a heartless glance at Radu as she ran over to join Harlan. Radu dropped his hands to his side, wondering what Rosie had told Cat to make her look at him like that. He sighed and raised his hands to catch Harlan's throw.

Harlan made a show of winding his arms to pitch professionally. Catalina ran a few feet to the right of Harlan, making a triangle between the three friends. Harlan threw the ball and Radu caught it with ease. 

"Throw it over here!" Catalina called, her face a giant smile.

Radu shrugged, thinking that the Saturnian had forgiven him for whatever he had done. He turned to face her and threw the ball gently. It flew to its target and Catalina caught it.

"Ow!" she cried. "Don't throw so hard!"

"Sorry!" Radu called.

Catalina threw the ball to Harlan, who threw it back to Catalina. Radu wondered if he was being left out because he threw too hard.

"Heads up!" Catalina yelled, throwing the ball.

Radu caught it and threw it to Harlan. Unfortunately, Harlan had been paying more attention to a group of girls who had been walking by and the ball hit him in the gut. He fell backwards and lay on the ground.

"Harlan!" Radu cried, running over to his friend.

The Earther girls who had been watching gasped in shock. They began whispering among themselves, but Radu could clearly hear the conversation.

"Did you see that?" one girl whispered. "The alien did that on purpose! I saw him!"

"No kidding!" another agreed. "He was aiming for that boy's head, but he turned to see us and it struck him in the stomach."

"No wonder the UPP tries to keep them out of Starcademy," a third said. "They're so violent!"

Radu tried hard to ignore their comments, concentrating more on Harlan's breathing and pulse. He was thankful that his throw hadn't killed his friend.

In a few seconds, he was kneeling by Harlan's head, checking his vital signs.

"Radu," Catalina said, "you're supposed to throw gently!"

"I did!" Radu exclaimed. 

Harlan was breathing and opened his eyes in a few seconds. He gasped for air, taking in large breathes before smiling at his two friends.

"Whoa," he said. "Some throw there."

"I - I'm sorry!" Radu managed to say. 

Harlan sat up and clapped Radu on the shoulder with one hand.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I should have been paying more attention. Let's go back inside. I think dinner's ready."

Cat helped Harlan to his feet and the trio walked back to Harlan's house. As they passed the group of girls, Radu could not help but notice their cruel sneers and feel their eyes burning into his back.

**********

The transport from Mercury made a stop over at Earth's space port. Rosie sat alone in the ship, nervously fingering the bag she had brought. Her parents had been quick and eager to schedule a transport to Uranus for Bova's wedding, even if Rosie herself had been hesitant.

"You have to go, honey," Gunter had said. "He's your best friend and wants you there. You can't disappoint him!"

"We don't mind," Dalia added. "Go and have fun."

So that was how Rosie had found herself on the ship to Uranus, desperately wanting someone to talk to.

"Is this seat taken?" someone asked.

Rosie looked up and, as if in answer to her prayers, Radu stood over her. She smiled and moved over for her friends to sit. Catalina and Harlan were right behind Radu, arguing about something as usual. Rosie rose to hug Catalina and the Saturnian girl moved to sit next to her friend.

"So, what's the plan for the wedding?" Catalina asked.

"Yeah," Harlan added, leaning over Radu. "Are we breaking it up or what?"

Rosie looked shocked at Harlan's suggestion. Could they break up the wedding? She smiled slyly and leaned forward to formulate a plan.

**********

Bova and Yazria sat nervously together. Their parents had forced them into a room to "get to know each other better". Over an hour had past without a single word exchanged between the two. Finally, Yazria tried to break the tension.

"You go to Starcademy?" she asked.

"Yeah," Bova replied.

Yazria fell silent once more. She stared around the room, observing the dreary decor.

"Are you going back to Starcademy after we are married?" she asked.

"Of course!" Bova answered. "I want to become a StarDog and travel around the universe."

"Like you did with those other students before," Yazria added.

"You know about that?" 

Yazria nodded. "I know much about you Bova, son of Benn. If we are to be wed, I thought I should."

Bova's gaze dropped from his fiancée to the ground. He sighed, thinking of Rosie and the others who would arrive any day now to witness his wedding.

"You are a scientist?" Yazria continued.

Bova nodded. "Do you like science?"

Yazria laughed. "My business is to manage the home and children. What does it matter if I like science or not? What does it matter if I had other plans for this life?"

The last few words were said with a touch of bitterness. Bova thought he saw tears in her eyes and wondered exactly how she felt about this forced wedding. He was about to ask her when the door opened. Benn came in.

"Bova," he said. "Say good bye to Yazria. It is time for her to return home. You will not see each other again until the wedding."

Bova and Yazria rose from where they were sitting. Yazria turned to her fiancé and smiled.

"Farewell, husband," she said. "I will see you next week at the ceremony."

Bova nodded and the beautiful Uranusian swept out of the room. 

**********

The transport landed at the Uranus Space Port and the passengers disembarked. Most of them were disgruntled Uranusians except for a handful of others who were on their way to Alpha Prime. 

Rosie shivered at the chill in the Space Port. The temperature was considerably lower on this planet than Mercury. It was understandable since Uranus was the second farthest planet from the sun. Radu put his jacket around her shoulders and she smiled at him. 

"How do we get to Bova's house?" Catalina asked.

"I guess we take a taxi," Harlan replied.

They exited the spaceport and Harlan flagged down a taxi.

"Where are you going?" the driver asked.

"Can you take us to this address?" Harlan asked, showing the driver the invitation.

The driver sighed. "I suppose so. Get in."

The space cases piled into the car and were soon heading down to the residential area of the city.

**********

Bova opened the door. His depressed features molded into a smile that seemed out of place on his face. His eyes widened and a zap of electricity passed between his antennae.

"Guys!" he exclaimed. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

Harlan smiled and slapped the small Uranusian on the shoulder.

"Congratulations," Harlan said. "I never thought you'd be the first to go."

"Go?" Bova asked as Harlan cleared the doorway to let the others in.

"Hi," Catalina said. 

Radu smiled and dipped his head in greeting. Last to enter was Rosie. She lingered in the doorway, as if she were afraid to enter. Bova opened the door wider and waited patiently.

"Hi, Bova," Rosie managed to say. "I - I'm happy - for you."

She hurried inside and hid behind Radu. The Andromedan shrugged to Bova, indicating that he did not know what was wrong with Rosie.

"Come in," Bova said, leading the way further into the house. "You're just in time to eat."

The reunited space cases followed their host through the large house to the kitchen where Bova's family was already eating.

**********

Rosie lay awake that night, listening to the rhythmic breathing of Catalina, asleep beside her. Bova's family had been very kind to her - despite the typical Uranusian behaviour - and she began to doubt herself.

"I just don't know," she whispered. 

"Know what?" Radu asked.

Rosie sat up very quickly, her heart pounding at the sudden surprise. Bova's mother had provided a small room for all the space cases to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor. Rosie and Catalina slept next to each other with Radu and Harlan on the other side of the room. Radu sat with his back against the wall, staring at Rosie with his deep blue eyes. Rosie managed a smile and calmed her beating heart.

"Sorry to startle you," Radu apologized.

"I don't know about Bova," Rosie whispered. "I don't like him getting married, but I don't know why. I guess - " she left the thought unfinished. "Sorry to keep you up."

Radu shrugged. "I'm not that tired anyway. I slept on the transport, remember? Maybe you should talk to Bova."

"I can't," Rosie said. "Every time I see him, all I want to do is cry."

"No classes today, Ms Davenport," Harlan mumbled in his sleep.

Rosie and Radu shared a smile. 

"I think I'll go back to sleep," Rosie said.

Radu nodded. "Good idea."

As she lay back down and began to doze off, she knew Radu was still awake, watching her. Her last thoughts were comforting. She knew she had a friend on which she could depend with any secret.

**********

"You must be Rosie!" Yazria said brightly.

For the first time in her life, the Mercurian had to force herself to smile. Yazria was beautiful, kind, and honest. Rosie knew that she would make Bova a wonderful wife, but the idea of him being married still gnawed at her. 

"Hi, nice to meet you," Rosie replied.

"I'm Catalina," Cat introduced, shaking Yazria's hand.

"I'm so happy both of you are here," Yazria said. "I don't have many close friends and since it's so close to the wedding, I'm glad I have some females for support."

Catalina smiled and hit Rosie in her arm as she felt the Mercurian's temperature begin to rise.

"Anything to help a friend of Bova's," Rosie said.

Catalina thought she saw Yazria's face darken momentarily. 

"Let's go talk and get to know one another better, shall we?" Yazria suggested, inviting the two girls in.

**********

Bova sat with his head in his hands. With the wedding only two short days away, the light of hope at the end of this tunnel grew dimmer. Harlan sat on his right, sampling more Uranusian cuisine. Radu on his left.

"I can see why you guys eat so much," Harlan remarked. "This stuff is terrific!"

"This always happens to me," Bova moaned.

Radu seemed confused. "I thought you only get engaged once."

Bova raised his head to glare at the Andromedan. "No. I mean bad situations, like this one."

"Yazria seems all right," Harlan remarked. "What's the problem?"

"Rosie," Bova said. "Rosie is the problem. I can't get married to Yazria if I like someone else!"

"So don't go through with it."

"I have to. My parent's have had this arranged since I was born! I have no choice."

"Have you talked to Yazria about it?" Radu asked.

Bova shook his head. "No, but she's so excited about this."

"Run away," Harlan said as if it were the obvious choice.

Bova and Radu stared at their friend in shock.

"We'll book ourselves passage on a transport back to Starcademy and say that we need to get ready for next semester. When we leave, you sneak out too. We'll meet you at the Space Port and we'll all head home," Harlan said.

"Yeah, then I'll never be able to return home again," Bova added, "or speak to my parents again."

"Not to mention what Yazria will feel like," Radu finished.

Harlan threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine. Do whatever you want. I don't see any other option."

He stormed out of the room. 

**********

The day before the wedding, Rosie, Catalina, Radu, and Harlan met in their small room. Each had been thinking of ways to end the marriage before it began, but none of the ideas seemed to work. 

"I've been getting pretty close to Yazria," Catalina said. "Apparently, she wanted to study law at the university here but her parent's won't let her because she's engaged."

"Bova doesn't want to go through with this either," Harlan added. "I think we just found a way out."

**********

The park outside Bova's house was decorated beautifully on the day of the wedding. Bova stood uncomfortably at the end of a long carpet. Harlan and Radu sat in the first row of chairs, close enough to speak to the groom-to-be. 

Catalina and Rosie stood in the back with Yazria, helping her get into her gown. The traditional Uranusian wedding gown consisted of several light veils artfully arranged over a slim, silk gown. 

"I feel like my life is over," Yazria moaned, more depressed than usual.

"Don't worry," Catalina said, throwing a veil over her shoulder, "we've got it all covered."

"What are you going to do?" Yazria asked.

"When the right time comes, talk to Bova," Rosie said. "He knows what's going on."

The music started as the guests began to get impatient. Bova fidgeted with his jacket and stared at the entrance where his future wife would soon appear. Harlan gave him a thumbs up sign and seemed completely relaxed. Bova glanced at Radu, but the Andromedan seemed to be in deep concentration, listening for something.

Yazria walked slowly down the aisle. Bova gulped and took her arm when she approached. The minister standing in front of them began to read the sermon and Bova began getting desperate. Harlan seemed sure of himself and Radu still listened.

"Get ready," Radu whispered to Harlan. "They're coming!"

Harlan nodded and Radu took some ear muffs out of his pocket.

"Now!" Radu said as he clamped the muffs on his ears.

The entire park filled with bees. They flew in swarms, straight to the flowers that decorated every chair and were draped around the aisle. Guests ran screaming in every direction to be rid of the pests. Radu remain in his seat, hands pressed tightly against his ears as the horrible buzzing sound continued.

Harlan pressed a button on a controller he held in his hand and an energy field appeared around Bova and Yazria, protecting them from the insects.

"Yazria, do you want to go through with this?" Bova asked.

"Not at all," Yazria answered. "I want to go to school!"

"I want to be a StarDog," Bova added. "Let's forget about this silly wedding and get out of here!"

Yazria nodded and signaled Harlan. Harlan smiled and waved to Catalina. Catalina took a deep breath and let out a sonic blast that drove all the insects away from the park. Harlan released the two Uranusians from the energy field and slapped Radu on the back. The Andromedan almost fell out of his chair.

"Are you okay?" Harlan asked.

"Give me a minute," Radu gasped as he tried to filter out all the sounds.

Bova and Yazria stood in front of the space cases.

"Thank you so much," Yazria said. 

She turned, kissed Bova on the cheek, and left. Catalina elbowed Rosie as her temperature raised yet again and the Mercurian cooled down.

"Well, that was an adventure," Bova commented. "When do we eat?"


	4. Valentine Rosie

VALENTINE ROSIE

"Happy valentine's day!" Harlan announced.

Radu turned in his bunk and pressed the muffs closer to his ears. It was already the second semester of the new school year and, even though it was nice having Harlan as a bunkmate, it was far too early to be shouting. 

Radu felt a tap on his head. He cracked open an eyelid to see Harlan's grinning face upside down in his field of vision. With a smile, Radu sensed his defeat and opened both eyes. Harlan hung upside down from his top bunk.

"Happy valentine's day, buddy," Harlan greeted.

"Same to you," Radu said with a yawn. "What is valentine's day, anyway?"

"February 14th in the Earth year is valentine's day," Harlan explained. "It's the day when you celebrate love."

Radu felt a twinge of guilt that he could not spend this day with either of his loves, Elmira and Suzee. He knew Harlan had Cat, and Rosie had both Bova and Matt, and even Clito had a special someone back on Neptune. Radu sighed and rolled over in bed.

"Get up, sleepy head," Harlan laughed, poking Radu in the back. "I know you can hear me, with those big, spiral ears of yours. Time for breakfast."

Radu sat up and pushed Harlan back into his own bunk. The Earther flew back at the Andromedan's touch and laughed as he hit his own pillow. With a precision back flip, Harlan was off his bunk and onto the floor in front of Radu.

"Last one there has to eat next to Bova," Harlan challenged.

Radu finished dressing and raced after Harlan, down the hall and into the cafeteria.

**********

They entered the cafeteria in the middle of a fight between their friends. Rosie and Cat sat on one side of the table with Bova and Matt on the other. Clito was no where to be seen. Rosie was crying and Cat was shooting dirty looks at the boys. Both Bova and Matt wore expressions of distaste.

"What's going on?" Harlan asked.

"These two pig heads," Cat indicated to the two boys with her chin, "are forcing Rosie to choose between them."

Radu slid into the seat next to Rosie and put his arm around her. The Mercurian moved from crying in Cat's shoulder to crying in Radu's. Harlan slid in next to Matt.

"What's the hurry?" Harlan demanded. "You're all still young."

"The hurry," Bova answered, "is the valentine's day dance Friday night. No one without a date can attend, not that I'd want to go to a stupid ball anyway."

"A dance?" Harlan's eyes lit up. "Cool! We going, Cat?"

"Of course," Cat agreed. 

"I want to go," Rosie sobbed, "but I can't choose one over the other! I like you both!"

"You can't bring two dates," Matt said gently. "You have to pick one!"

"I can't!" Rosie cried, burying her head back into Radu's chest. 

He patted her back gently. 

"She has all week," Radu said finally, "she can tell you then."

"What about you, Radu?" Cat said suddenly. "Don't you want to go to the dance?"

Radu felt himself blush. "I - well, I don't - "

"What he's trying to say," Harlan took over, "is that he can't very well brink Elmira to the dance, so who's he going to bring?"

Bova sneezed, saving Radu from having to agree or disagree. A small spark of electricity flew from his antennae and hit Radu in the shoulder. The Andromedan winced reflexively and rubbed the sore spot.

"Sorry," Bova apologized. "I think I'm catching a cold."

The bell rang and they scattered to their various classes.

**********

"Good morning, class," Ms Davenport said.

"Good morning, Ms Davenport," the class echoed back.

Ms Davenport smiled. "Well, then. Today's lesson on Earth history is about a special saint whom we celebrate today. Does anyone know the name of this saint?"

The class was quiet. Cat squirmed in her seat. To her right, Clito was playing a game of cards on her compupad. To her left, Bova was asleep and snoring loudly. A giggle passed through the class.

"Catalina?" Ms Davenport called. "Do you know the name of the saint?"

"Saint Valentine?" Catalina replied.

Ms Davenport smiled. "Very good, Catalina."

As Ms Davenport droned on about Saint Valentine, Cat let her thoughts wander to Friday night and the dance they were having. She knew all the boys would be wearing their dress uniforms and thought about how dashing Harlan looked in his. Another snore from Bova made her think sharply about Rosie's current problem. Who would she pick?

The bell rang, indicating another session of Ms Davenport's boring lectures was done. Cat jumped out of her seat, hit Bova hard on the arm to wake him, and sped out of class.

"I don't know how you did it," Clito said as they walked to their next class. "How did you manage to stand her for longer than an hour while you were on the Christa?"

"Tuning her out, mostly," Cat replied. "While I was on Yensid, it was easier because while Suzee listened to Ms Davenport, I went to the Science Hall with her little sister."

Cat turned away from Clito for a moment. "I miss her too," she said to Suzee.

"Miss who?" Clito asked.

"Suzee's little sister," Cat clarified. "She just told Suzee to tell me that she misses me."

The bell rang again and the crowd in the halls seemed to diminish.

"Grozit! I'm late!" Cat cried, running away from Clito.

The Neptunian shrugged and stepped into her next class.

**********

"All right, you lousy excuses for cadets," Coach Fairhall yelled. "It's time for you to exercise your muscles instead of your mouths! It's my job to whip you all into StarDogs, so move out!"

Radu rolled his eyes and started to run around the exercise hall with the other members of his physical education class. Harlan jogged up next to him and eyed the coach evily.

"Why is old Coach Hairball out to kill us?" Harlan asked. 

Coach Fairhall was a semi-retired StarDog who taught boys Phys. ed. instead of going back to Earth to relax. Despite his old age, he was still tough and mean and most cadets hated him. He was tall and muscular, with a thick, white beard and short, white hair. He had a prejudice for Andromedans, much like Harlan had during the first little while on the Christa. Unlike Harlan, Coach Fairhall had fought Andromedans - a fact he used quite often to alienate Radu.

"I know why he's out to get me," Radu said easily. "I have no idea what you did to him."

"If you can talk, you're not running fast enough!" Fairhall yelled.

Radu smiled at Harlan. Harlan smiled back. The two space cases picked up the past and were soon outrunning all the other cadets by far. 

"You two!" Coach called to Harlan and Radu. "You're both going to stay and run until you can't run anymore!"

"How long can you run until you can't run anymore?" Harlan asked conversationally.

Radu shrugged. "Days, probably. I've never really tried."

"I hope Coach brought a lunch," Harlan laughed.

The other cadets tired quickly and sat down to watch the continuing race between the two space cases. The bell rang, signaling the end of Phys. ed. class. As Radu passed the coach, he slowed down but kept jogging on the spot.

"Do you want me to keep going, coach?" Radu asked. "I have lunch next, so I won't miss any classes."

Coach Fairhall turned red and motioned for them all to go get changed. 

**********

"So then," Harlan laughed, "Radu keeps jogging, but asks the coach if he want him to keep going, since he has lunch next and won't miss any classes. You should have seen the look on Hairball's face! He was furious! I didn't think Radu had it in him."

Catalina shared Harlan's laughter as they all ate their lunch. Luckily, all five space cases, and their two new friends all had lunch on the same free period. As they ate today, however, Rosie was in the study hall trying to finish an assignment and Matt and Bova were nowhere to be found. Everyone assumed they too, had work to do.

"Way to go, Radu," Cat congratulated him. 

Radu smiled shyly and kept his eyes on his lunch tray. He poked at his food and was about to eat it when a sound made him look up sharply. The look of amusement on his friend's faces faded quickly to concern as the noticed Radu's serious expression.

"Radu," Clito began.

"Shhh," Radu silenced her. "I hear something."

He cocked his head and listened closely. He heard shouting and the faintest sound of a struggle. The groans and cries were slightly muffled, but the arguing was present.

"What is it?" Clito asked.

"A fight," Radu replied, standing quickly. "And I think I know between which two cadets."

Like a flash, Radu was out of the cafeteria. The others followed as quickly as they could.

**********

Harlan, Clito, and Catalina rushed into the exercise hall and gasped in disbelief. Radu stood in the centre of the hall, holding a struggling Bova in one outstretched arm and a struggling Mattar in the other. They were both suspended about a foot off the ground and they each showed signs of a fight. Bova had burn marks on his hands and face while Matt had the beginnings of a black eye.

"What . . .?" Catalina sputtered. "How . . . ?"

"Matt! What were you thinking?" Clito cried. "Bova, you too! You should both be ashamed of yourselves!"

Matt and Bova tried their best to look ashamed.

"Will you two promise not to kill each other if I put you down?" Radu asked.

They both nodded and Radu dumped them roughly on the floor. Clito left the gym to get Rosie while Harlan and Radu each guarded one of the fighters.

"What were you fighting about?" Cat demanded.

Matt and Bova stared at the ground.

"It was Rosie, wasn't it?" Cat asked. "Of course it was! How can you let a little something like a dance come between friends? What if Rosie doesn't pick either of you? What if she likes someone else? Then what will you guys do?"

The rivals continued to look sheepishly at the floor. Matt fiddled with his fingers and Bova drew imaginary pictures on the floor. 

"You're both lucky the coach didn't catch you duking it out in here," Harlan observed. "He would have had both your hides!"

A gasp at the doorway signaled the return of Clito with Rosie. The Mercurian rushed to Catalina, eyes imploring the Saturnian to tell her what happened.

"Let them tell you," Cat said.

Rosie turned to the boys sitting on the floor. For the first time since Radu broke up the fight, they looked at each other.

"Rosie, we're sorry!" Bova blurted out. "It's just that . . . "

"That we can't stand being in suspense!" Matt continued. "You know how much we love you, we can't help but see each other as rivals!"

Rosie's eyes filled with tears as she looked from Bova, to Mattar, to Radu. Radu shrugged and looked at her with an expression that indicated he didn't know how to react either. Rosie turned and ran from the exercise hall. Radu glared at Bova and Matt and rushed after her. 

"Men!" Cat said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" Harlan objected. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Cat said in a sweet voice.

**********

"I - I just - don't - know - what - to do!" Rosie sobbed in a broken voice.

Radu sat next to her on her bed and put an arm comfortingly around her shoulder. She shrank into his embrace and he winced slightly as the first of the scalding hot tears landed on his leg.

"Do you like them?" Radu asked gently.

"I - I like them both!" Rosie stammered. "I don't know which one I like more. I've known Bova longer, and he's fun when you crack through that gloomy exterior, but he's so depressing sometimes. I've only known Matt since the war, but he's sweet and kind and fun, but he's still a stranger to me!"

Radu gently lifted Rosie away from him and turned her so she looked at him in the face. He smiled at her and stared into her eyes.

"Rosie, you're my best friend. You've never done anything you've regretted, and even if you have, you always know how to make it right again. Do what's in your heart," Radu said. "That's the best advice I can give."

Rosie fell against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. She hugged him back, thankful for his closeness and comfort. 

**********

Bova wasn't in class the next morning, or the morning after that. Harlan went to check on him, but the nurse said that he couldn't have any visitors. 

"He's sick," Harlan explained to his friends at lunch. "He caught a cold and can't have visitors because he might accidentally electrocute someone."

"That's great!" Matt said. 

The others looked at him in shock and surprise. Matt cleared his throat and explained himself. "Today's Wednesday and there's no way Bova will be able to go to the dance Friday night if he's a sick as you say, so that means Rosie has to pick me!"

Rosie shook her head. "No, it doesn't."  
Matt looked at her in alarm. "What do you mean?"

"There are plenty of guys in the Academy. Who says I have to go with you now that Bova's sick?"

"But . . . the agreement . . . "

"Was between you and Bova," Rosie finished. "I had nothing to do with it."

Matt looked confused and Harlan gave him a sympathetic shrug. Catalina wore a smug smile and patted Rosie's shoulder in support. Radu seemed shocked and he wondered to himself if it was his advice that had caused Rosie's change of heart.

**********

Clito clipped a few branches off her miniature tree and took a step back to admire her pruning. She hummed softly to herself as she began to water the plants in the botanical garden she had helped create. Professor Oakly had given her a lot of support when she first proposed a botanical garden and now, as she lived her dream, she felt at peace.

She heard the door slid open, but paid it no mind. She knew that whoever came in probably wanted to see the plants, or speak to Oakly. Either way, it was no concern of hers. 

"Clito!" a voice called. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Radu came into the garden, careful not to knock anything over. He came up next to her and she smiled.

"Radu!" she said happily. "Great. As long as you're here, would you mind moving some trees for me?"

Radu agreed and Clito set him to work. As he moved the plants around, he talked about his problem.

"Rosie doesn't want to go to the dance with Matt, now that Bova's sick and I think it was because of the advice I gave her," he said.

"Right there," Clito directed. "What makes you think that? She knows what she's doing."

"But it's almost Friday and I don't want her to miss the dance. She's been looking forward to it," Radu continued.

"So why don't you take her?" Clito asked.

Radu nearly dropped the tree he was holding. "Me?"

"Yes, you," Clito said. "You don't have a date either, and you know how badly she wants to go."

Radu blushed. "But . . . I - I can't! She's my friend!"

Clito arched an eyebrow at him and put down the watering can she had been using. The door opened again and another cadet walked in. He had short, brown hair that was piled in a messy heap on the top of his head. Brown eyes peered from narrowed sockets and his freckled face smiled into a cruel grin.

"Oakly told me to come to this jungle and help you with . . . " the intruder began.

Radu turned away quickly so he wouldn't be caught staring. The cadet who had just entered was Peter Corwell - the one who was constantly making fun of Radu and the other space cases. He was the one who tried so hard to aggravate everyone for his own enjoyment. He was the one who had such a deep prejudice for any race except human. He was one of the only people Radu could honestly say he hated.

"I didn't know you already had a slave," Peter said pointing to Radu with his thumb. "When you're ready to send it back to its Spung master, call me. I can finish cleaning or something."

Peter turned on his toes and left the botanical garden. Radu felt his blood boil and almost squeezed the tree he held into dust. He felt a calming hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Clito.

"Take it easy," she said. "He's just a bitter, lonely, nut case."

"What was he doing here?" Radu asked.

"He got in trouble for doing some stupid prank and Oakly sent him here for punishment. I'll make him do something disgusting, don't worry."

Radu put down the last tree and said good bye to Clito. He left, feeling less comforted from the meeting.

**********

It was Friday afternoon and classes were just finishing up. As the final bell rang, the cadets fled to the library, study hall, exercise hall, biosphere, or their own dorms to prepare for the dance. The space cases headed to the tree where they always met before going off to get ready for the dance.

"Where is everyone?" Harlan asked.

Clito took a break from filing her nails to look around the biosphere. Harlan was right - the park was unusually deserted.

"They're probably all getting ready for the dance," Cat said. "Everyone's going to be there."

"Not me," Matt moped from where he sat next to Clito. "Rosie didn't pick me."

Clito rolled her eyes and hit her friend on the shoulder. Matt snapped out of his depression and turned to the source of the sudden pain in his arm.

"Do you want to go with me to the dance?" Clito asked.

"I thought you had a date," Matt said.

"Only if you say yes and stop whining," Clito answered.

Matt nodded. "I would be honoured."

Clito turned her attention back to her nails. "One down, two to go," she muttered.

Catalina stifled a giggle. The clock in the centre of the sphere chimed four o'clock. Cat gasped at the sound and jumped to her feet.

"We gotta go and get dressed!" she exclaimed.

Clito rose to her feet in a smooth, fluid motion and nodded. She smiled to the boys and left with Catalina. Harlan lay on his back and stared at the synthetic clouds that rolled by. 

"So, you going to go yet?" he asked.

Matt looked at the clock. "We have an hour and a half before it starts. That's plenty of time to get ready."

Harlan nodded. "Yeah. I wonder why girls always have to leave hours earlier?"

**********

"That's why they leave early," Matt whispered to Harlan.

The boys stood at the entrance to the dance, staring at their dates who had completely transformed in a short time. Catalina wore her hair in an upswept fashion similar to how Suzee had occasionally worn hers. She wore a dress of purple and blue, with the colours so evenly mixed that it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. She wore purple eye shadow to delicately accent her blue eyes and a touch of lipstick to show off her smile. Harlan gulped and whistled at her. 

Clito was dressed in a short, seaweed green dress that accented her aquamarine skin and long legs. Her hair was kept down and fell casually over one eye. She didn't wear very much make up at all because of her colouring and had a diamond necklace to show off her low cut dress. 

"Wow!" Mattar gasped.

The boys were dressed in their formal Starcademy uniforms, as were all the other boys at the dance. Cat held out her hand for Harlan to take and Clito did the same to Matt. The foursome entered the dance.

**********

Catalina and Harlan danced together, yet the Saturnian kept one eye on the door all night. Finally, she turned to Harlan.

"Where are Rosie and Radu?" she asked.

Harlan gestured to the refreshment table with his chin. "Over there. They were here before we were."

"I wonder why they didn't come over," Cat said. 

"I thought you needed a date to get in," Harlan said.

"Duh," Cat told him, "they came together!"

Rosie and Radu stood in a corner, talking and laughing. Clito and Matt noticed them as well, but the Neptunian kept her date from dancing over and starting a scene. The song ended and the couples all clapped.

"Thanks for coming out," Peter Corwell announced. "I'd like to take this opportunity to send out a special hello to Radu for talking the Spung into letting him out just this once before he goes back to licking their feet."

The crowd laughed. Rosie put a comforting hand on Radu's arm as the Andromedan glared at the Earther.

"Everyone's favourite downer is also missing," Peter continued. "I guess this was just too much good cheer for poor, old Bova to handle."

Again, laughter exploded in the dance hall. It was now Radu's turn to comfort Rosie as tears welled up in her eyes. The other space cases came over to where they sat as Peter kept up his teasing.

"And look who's over at the punchbowl," Peter said. "It's Clito, the world's only mermaid. Careful, she might spike the punch - with herself!"

"Excuse me a moment," Clito said, liquefying herself.

The space cases watched as the small puddle came up on stage as Peter ridiculed them all. In his amusement, he stepped in the puddle as Clito was passing by the electrical outlet. A loud zap echoed through the dance hall, followed quickly by a yell from the host. The crowd stared at Peter, his hair standing straight up and his hand burned from the shock, then erupted into a fit of laughter. Clito rematerialized next to Mattar.

"The most useful thing I learned in chemistry," Clito said, "was that water conducts electricity."

"Let me try," Matt said.

As Peter went to sit on a metal chair on stage, Matt sent out a massive amount of heat. The chair rose in temperature until Peter sat. He jumped out of the chair with a yell and the crowd roared with amusement. The dance was a success.

**********

Rosie and Radu walked through the empty halls of the Starcademy. Rosie had a large smile on her face as she kept up the endless chatter she had been engaged in all night. They arrived at the doorway to Rosie's dorm.

"Thanks for going with me, Radu," Rosie said. "I had a great time."

"So did I," Radu agreed. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Good night."

He turned and headed down the hall. Rosie watched him disappear into the turbolift that would take him to his dorm. 

"Good night, Radu," she whispered. "I love you."


	5. On Our Own

ON OUR OWN

Harlan sighed and rested his head on his folded arms. His eyes slowly drifted closed, only to snap open again as the professor raised his voice. Beside him, Catalina toyed with her pencil. Harlan watched her flip it with one hand and catch it with the other. He found this act far more interesting than the lecture that he was supposed to be listening to. Two seats behind him, Radu sat. As Harlan risked a glance over his shoulder, it appeared as if the Andromedan was hanging on every word. Harlan smiled, recognizing his friend's semi blank look. He knew Radu was listening, but not to the conversation in this room. 

Survival 101. Every StarDog that wanted to become a captain or even a member of a spatial crew had to pass this course. Harlan sighed again and shifted his weight from his arms to his desk. The metal felt cool beneath his chin, but it didn't matter. Three weeks into the second semester at Starcademy and he was bored to tears already.

"For those who do well on the upcoming test," the professor said, "there will be a special training mission on an isolated planetary moon. For those who do not do well, there will be another class next year."

The bell rang and all the students jumped to their feet. Radu snapped out of his private conversation and headed down to where his two friends were. As he walked, a foot jutted out in front of him and he tripped. Harlan caught him as he fell and they both turned to hear the laughter of Peter Corwell.

"You fall almost as fast as your marks!" Peter laughed.

"Why I oughta . . . " Harlan sneered.

Peter laughed harder as Radu held his friend back. The arrogant Earther headed out of the room.

"We better do well on that test," Catalina remarked. "I don't know about you, but a training mission sound like more fun than this!"

"Training mission?" Radu asked.

Harlan laughed. "Where were you?"  
Radu blushed. "Listening to the class on microbiology. Rosie was giving a lecture as part of an extra credit project."

Harlan winked knowingly, causing his friend to blush further. Cat grabbed both their arms and dragged them to their next class.

**********

"For those of you who think you're man enough to survive on an isolate planet should have no trouble with this!" Coach Fairhall shouted.

Harlan and Radu looked at the obstacle course the coach had set up. It consisted of climbing, vaulting, running, and crawling. Harlan shrugged and prepared to be off. 

"First two," the Coach yelled. "Go!"

Harlan was off. Radu watched from where he waited and smiled as his friend took an early lead. He looked over to find out who he would be racing against and saw Peter, smiling evily next to him.

"Next two," the Coach yelled. "Go!"

Peter took the lead early, but failed to vault over the first obstacle. Radu cleared it without problems and headed to the ropes. He was half way up before he heard a strange snapping sound. He raised his head and saw that his rope had been nearly severed in two. As it snapped, he hurled himself to the other rope and swung down. Harlan cheered.

Peter ignored most of the obstacles, pushing things into Radu's way. The Coach seemed oblivious to this obvious trickery and Harlan could only watch in astonishment. As Radu climbed up a large wall, Peter waited at the bottom. Radu slid down the other side and landed on the mat. As he stood, a shadow loomed over him. He turned in time to see the wall he had just climbed over falling down on him. He raised his hands to catch it and sunk underneath it with the sudden weight. Peter laughed, thinking that the wall had crushed him. Suddenly, the wall was looming over him and Peter was forced to frantically dash to one side as it came crashing down.

"That's fifteen extra laps, Andromedan!" Coach Fairhall yelled. "Not everything is yours to break!"

Harlan opened his mouth to protest, but Radu silenced him.

"It's okay," he said. "At least now I know I can survive on an isolated planet."

Harlan smiled at the joke, remembering those weeks when the Christa had crashed.

**********

"Where's Radu?" Rosie asked at lunch.

"Running laps," Harlan said bitterly. "Peter tried to kill him and he's being punished for defending himself."

From the expression on his face, the Mercurian knew he wasn't exaggerating.

"How did your extra credit assignment go?" Harlan asked as he sipped his drink.

Rosie gave him a confused look. "How did you know?"  
"Radu was listening to you as you gave it," Catalina explained. "He completely missed the last half hour of class because of it."

Rosie seemed to blush as her skin became a darker pink and she radiated more heat. On the tray in front of her, her plastic fork melted.

"Cool it, Rosie," Bova complained. "You're making my food warm!"

"Sorry," Rosie apologized as she reduced her temperature. "So, you guys are going on an isolated planetary mission, huh? Sounds fun!"  
"Except for the fact that we don't get to pick our teams," Harlan complained. "I don't know about you, but I would rather stick with what I know."

"Not to mention poor Radu," Catalina added. "Imagine what will happen to him, especially after what Peter tried to pull."

Suddenly, the many different conversations fell to silence indicating the arrival of Starcademy's only Andromedan recruit. Radu ignored them all, as usual, and slid into his seat next to Harlan.

"Hi, guys," he said. 

He was followed closely by Clito and Matt. The Neptunian glanced around the cafeteria as the conversations slowly began anew.

"Wow," she commented, "you sure know how to make an entrance."

"It's purely accidental," Radu assured her.

The volume of noise in the cafeteria rose to its usual level as the Starcademy cadets realized that one Andromedan couldn't possibly listen to all of them at once.

"Oh yeah," Mattar said suddenly. "Radu, I've been meaning to ask you. Remember the final attack during the war?"

Radu paled slightly, but nodded.

"That chant you hummed to make yourselves fight, what was that?"

"The Andromedan War Chant?" Radu said. "Why do you ask?"  
"It's for a project I'm doing for my Alien Cultures class."

Radu took a deep breath. "Well, I guess you should know something about Andromedans before I tell you about the chant. From the day we're hatched, we're taught self control. It's kind of like we've built a wall around our minds so we would never lash out at the universe. By focusing on this wall, we can control our hearing, strength, and endurance."

Matt nodded, his eyes mirroring his interest. The others were listening closely as well, eager to learn something new about their friend.

"The war chant breaks that wall so we completely loose control of ourselves. We go berserk, destroying anything in our paths. During the war was the first time I'd ever experienced it and I don't think I'd ever want to do it again. It was like I wasn't in my own body. It was terrible!"

Rosie put her arm around Radu's shoulder as his voice broke. 

"So, how do you become yourself again?" Matt asked.

"I - I don't really know," Radu replied. "I guess after a while, it wears off. I barely remember anything that happened during that time. When it wore off, I was back in the Andromedan camp, being held down by two officers. It took me a while to convince them I was fine before they released me."

Radu's voice trailed off and the other space cases snapped out of his story. Matt sat back and began furiously typing into his compupad. Harlan gave a low whistle. Bova began to eat again.

"Thanks, Radu," Matt said. "This is great for my project."

From a few seats away, Peter Corwell also broke free of Radu's story. He smiled to himself, rose, and left the cafeteria.

**********

"Congratulations, Harlan," the professor said. "I think this is the first test you've aced all semester."

"The year's not over yet, sir," Harlan replied, looking at his corrected test. "There are still plenty more tests for me to ace."  
The professor nodded and finished returning the test. He walked back to the front of the room.

"Those of you who failed, and you know who you are, will not be going on the mission. Those of you who passed, I will read out the group assignments for you," the professor said.

Harlan leaned over to where Cat was sitting. She smiled and showed him her test. She had passed as well. Harlan smiled back and turned to see Radu. He looked less enthusiastic about his mark, but still managed to earn enough points to go on the trip.

"Harlan Band, you will lead Team Gama. Your team mates are: Catalina, Radu, and Peter Corwell," the professor announced.

"We're on the same team!" Harlan whispered to Cat.

"I know that!" Cat whispered back.

Harlan leaned back in his seat and tried to envision the trip. He would lead his team - Team Gama - deep into the wilderness. With Radu's sense of direction, Cat's sonic blasts for protection, and his incredible leadership, they would survive in luxury. The only problem was Peter. 

__

Oh well, Harlan thought. _Maybe Peter's not as bad as everyone thinks he is_.

"Report at docking bay H for boarding tomorrow morning at 05:00 hours. Anyone who is late will be left behind," the professor said. The bell rang. "Class dismissed."

**********

Radu dropped his pack on the ground in front of him. To his left stood Harlan. The Earther had been almost too excited to sleep and had kept him up all night as he had delusions of grandeur. Radu rolled his eyes - a habit he had picked up while staying on Earth. He thought Harlan would have had enough of being leader after his encounter with the Hil people. 

Catalina stood to his right, stifling a yawn. Her hair was upswept into a French twist that reminded him of Suzee. All three of them wore camouflage gear and had back packs loaded with everything they would need for two weeks alone in the bush. 

"Team Gama," Coach Fairhall shouted.

"What's he doing here?" Harlan whispered loud enough for only Radu to hear. 

Radu shrugged in reply as they marched forward for inspection. Peter had appeared as if by magic beside Catalina, his brown hair neatly combed.

Coach Fairhall looked each of them over and finally okayed them to pile onto the transport. Catalina took Radu's hand and squeezed it tightly. 

__

I guess she's excited, too, Radu thought. 

Radu tried to look happy, but as the transport lifted off the ground, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming amount of dread.

**********

Harlan readjusted his pack and took in a deep breath of fresh air. The moon they had landed on was called Alpha Prime 7 - one of the ten moons circling the inhabitable planet of Alpha Prime. They stood in a large field of tall grass with no signs of the civilization they had just left except for the small patch of burned grass where they had been dropped off. To the north was a large, dense forest that bordered a tall mountain range. Harlan could see the snow capped peaks from where they stood. The forest surrounded them to the east and south and their western front was a large freshwater lake. 

Cat walked up to where Harlan stood after checking out their surroundings. Radu marked their drop-off position on the map and Peter sat down, almost completely lost from view in the tall grass.

"We should head to the lake first and test it for drinking water," Cat said. "Maybe we'll find a stream leading into the forest. It would be safer for us to camp in the forest than in the open."

Harlan nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. Let's set out."

He led the way, followed by Cat and Radu. They had traveled a few meters before realizing that Peter was not following them. Harlan halted and turned.

"Hey Corwell!" he called. "C'mon! You're holding everything up!"

"You go ahead, Band," Peter called back. "I can survive on my own."

"Don't be a moron!" Catalina yelled. "We'll all get in trouble if you stay here alone."

Peter didn't answer. 

"He's whistling to himself," Radu told them. "I think his fingers are in his ears."

Harlan sighed. "Forget him. Cat, record in the log that Corwell refused to come."

Cat nodded and punched a few buttons on her compupad. With a final look back, Harlan turned and began to head to the lake.

**********

When the space cases were out of view, Peter rose and ran to the forest's edge. He followed the trio from the safety of the bushes, hoping that the annoying Andromedan wouldn't hear him creeping.

He matched their pace step for step, walking over fallen logs as if they weren't there. All the while, he fingered a small recording device he had brought with him. 

**********

Catalina rose from the edge of the water, holding a small sample of it in a test tube. She gave it to Harlan, who tested it to see if it was drinkable. 

"Not bad," he said after a few minutes. "It's probably got a metallic-y taste to it because of the minerals nearby, but it is safe. I bet the river that feeds this lake would be purer, though."

Cat nodded and walked over to where Radu stood. He was deep in thought, head cocked and ears open. Catalina stepped on a twig and the snapping sound made Radu wince. He refocused his hearing to a more subdued level and turned to Cat.

"Sorry," she said.

Radu waved the apology aside. "I hear running water, only a few meters away."

They headed back to where Harlan waited with their gear. Soon, they were back on their feet, circling the lake. The river appeared in moments and they followed it into the northern forest. A clearing was soon found and camp was set up. Radu gathered wood as Harlan made dinner and Catalina pitched the tents. As the sun set over the isolated moon, the three Starcademy recruits were comfortable and warm.

**********

Peter crouched in the bushes, not daring to breath in case the Andromedan heard him. He waited patiently for them to sleep. They ate, talked, laughed and finally went into their separate tents to sleep. Peter almost shouted with relief as he moved his sore legs and crawled to where the Andromedan slept. Peter was thankful the creature enjoyed his privacy and had set up his tent further away from the others as he put the recorder next to the Andromedans head. He pushed the on button and a soft, humming music played. Smiling to himself, Peter dashed back into the forest to watch the prank he had been planning for months begin.

**********

Something woke Harlan in the middle of the night. He tried to ignore it as he turned over to go back to sleep, but a nagging sensation told him to check it out. He remembered Commander Goddard telling him to always listen to his instincts and he crept out of his tent. 

It was music. Blinking sleepily, Harlan wondered who would be playing music this late at night. Suddenly, realization snapped in his head. He knew the song that was being played. It was the same quiet, repetitive, tuneless song the Andromedans had hummed during the war. It was the same song that had won the war for the UPP. He was now wide awake as he saw Radu's sleeping form toss and turn in his tent.

__

He can't help himself, Harlan thought. _The War chant will make him go berserk!_

Harlan turned on his heel and ran to where Catalina still slept. He burst into her tent and shook her hard. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him crossly.

"Harlan, go away," she whispered.

"Listen Cat," Harlan said seriously. "We have to get out of here. Someone slipped the Andromedan War Chant into Radu's tent and he's getting restless. Remember what he told Mattar at lunch that day?"

"The War Chant?" Catalina said. "But we're the only people on this planet, except . . . "

Harlan and Cat stared into each other's eyes. "Peter."

An angry roar and the sound of a tent being ripped to shreds told them that Radu was awake and fully under the influence of the chant. Harlan dragged Catalina to her feet and pushed her out of the tent, grabbing her half unpacked bag as he jumped out. As Cat ran, Harlan turned to look over his shoulder at his best friend.

Radu was like an animal. He seemed taller than normal and his hair flew everywhere like a wild creature's fur. He pushed over a tree as if it were a building block and it landed with a thud on Harlan's tent. Radu raised his head and his eyes locked with Harlan's. Harlan saw nothing of his friend, only the raw anger of an awakened beast. Turning, he ran after Cat.

"Faster!" he yelled as Radu began to chase them.

"Put your hands over your ears," Cat called.

Harlan did as he was told a split second before a piercing sonic blast rocked the lunar surface. Radu screamed in pain and fell to his knees. Catalina felt an overpowering urge to run to him and help him up, but Harlan grabbed her as he ran past, pulling her away.

**********

The sun rose over the forest, shining its light down on the deserted planet. The insects were the first to awaken, chirping and going about their business. Large birds of prey swooped down to catch their breakfast or flew lazily home to sleep for the day.

Harlan woke up with his head resting on a rotting log and one arm protectively around Catalina. He wore his Starcademy uniform pants and only a thin yellow shirt against the coolness of the early morning. Beside him was the backpack he had grabbed as they had fled their camp.

As the memories of the previous night came flooding back, Harlan froze. He listened for any sounds of his best friend coming crashing through the forest. Beside him, Catalina stirred and woke. She looked confused for a split second before the fear returned into her eyes. Harlan eased his arm free of her and rose quietly to peer into the still forest. 

"He's not there," he whispered.

"Poor Radu," Catalina said. "I wonder where he is."

"I wonder if that rampage has worn off yet," Harlan replied. "We don't know how to stop it and obviously neither does he. When I get my hands on that miserable little squirt, I'll - "

"Shhh!" Catalina silenced him.

Harlan paused in his ranting to listen. Footsteps were heading their way. Both Starcademy students froze again and waited patiently. The bushes ahead of them moved and a mother pig came out, followed by three tiny piglets. She grunted as she walked by, warning the humanoids not to try and eat her litter. Harlan relaxed the fighting stance he had not realized he had taken and laughed. The pigs passed back into the forest. Harlan slid down the rotting log at sat beside Catalina.

"We need a plan," he said.

"Well," Cat began. "First, I think we should head back to the camp and see if anything is salvageable."

"Good idea," Harlan agreed. "Then we should try and catch Radu and keep him locked up until the mission is over or until that chant wears off."

"What are we going to do?" Catalina asked. "Sneak up behind him and whack him over the head with a stick? He'll hear us coming, you know."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Harlan demanded angrily. "Dodge him for the next thirteen days?"

Catalina didn't reply. Harlan picked up her pack and began rummaging through it. 

"Didn't you pack any food?" Harlan asked.

"No," Cat replied. "You and Radu were carrying the food. I was carrying the log, the first aid, and two tents."

Harlan threw the bag in disgust. "I guess we better move out."

"You guess?" Cat repeated, standing. "Well, as long as you're sure, fearless leader!"

Harlan shot her a dirty look as they began retracing their steps back to the camp.

**********

The camp was a disaster area. The three tents had been torn to shreds and scattered around the camp area. Food was mostly eaten or destroyed and several large trees had been knocked over. Rocks around the stream were red with blood and Catalina stared at them in horror.

"He's hurt!" she gasped.

Harlan knelt and followed the trail of blood with his eyes. It disappeared into the forest.

"We better follow it," he said. "The last thing we need is someone dying."

Catalina said nothing but followed Harlan back into the forest. They had been walking for several minutes before Harlan halted.

"Do you hear something?" he asked.

"You sound like Radu," Catalina remarked.

Harlan rolled his eyes. "No, listen."

Catalina cocked her head to one side and her eyes widened in shock. 

"It sounds like someone's calling for help!" she said.

Harlan nodded. "It must be Peter."

He turned toward the sound of the cries for help and began to run.

"What are you doing?" Cat demanded.

"Saving him."

"Why?"  
"What kind of a leader would I be if I let a member of my team get killed?"

"The same kind of leader that would let a member of your team go on a killing rampage," she replied.

Harlan choose to ignore the comment as he kept running up the steep hill toward the sounds of Peter screaming. Catalina followed him as quickly as she could.

"Stupid course," she muttered to herself. "Next semester, I'm taking Spatial Living instead!"

**********

Harlan crashed through a thicket and into a semi open area. A thin stream rolled by - no doubt on its way to the large lake. Several large trees were in the area, along with waist high bushes and knee high grass. Harlan's eyes scanned the area quickly for either Radu or Peter and he was shocked to see neither.

Behind him, Catalina made a more dignified entrance, sweeping away branches with her arms. She was panting slightly from the long, uphill run to the clearing.

"Where is he?" she asked.

Harlan didn't know if she was referring to Radu or Peter. Either way, his answer was the same. "I don't know."

"Keep your eyes peeled," she said.

They crept more slowly into the clearing, barely making a sound as they walked. 

"Hey! Up here!" a voice called.

Catalina raised her head and saw Peter sitting in one of the trees. His clothes were dirty and torn and his hair its usual disheveled self. His face was smeared with dirt and blood.

"Peter?" she asked.

"Who did you expect it to be Rainbow Brain?" Peter yelled. "Get me down from here before it gets back!"

"It?" Harlan asked.

"That Andromedan! It chased me up here and now I can't get down!"

Harlan raised his fist and shook it at Peter. He started to walk to the base of the tree when Catalina held him back.

"Please," she said. "Allow me."

She judged the distance to be about five meters high as she inhaled deeply. Harlan covered his ears seconds before Catalina released her sonic blast. The tree branch that Peter occupied rocked once and broke, sending the arrogant Earther tumbling to the ground. 

He stood up and dusted himself off. Catalina smiled at him smugly.

"You're welcome," she said.

Harlan charged past his friend and grabbed Peter by the collar. He held the smaller boy up until they were eye-to-eye. Harlan shook him until he could have sworn he heard Peter's teeth rattle.

"You idiot!" Harlan yelled. "You complete and total moron! Do you realize what you've done? Can you see the danger we're all in?"

"Harlan, calm down," Catalina said quietly. "If that blast didn't alert Radu as to where we are, your shouting will."

Harlan shook Peter a few more times and dropped him to the ground. Peter stood again and dusted off his uniform.

"For your information," Peter said tartly. "I was planning on getting off this rock before the tape took effect. I had no idea that he'd react so quickly. A separate transport was supposed to come and get me out of here, but your barbarian friend scared it off!"

Anger flooded into Catalina's eyes and she hit Peter square across the jaw. Harlan's eyes widened with shock and his lips parted into a smile as Peter fell for the third time, to the ground. Catalina stood over him.

"Never, ever, blame Radu for this," she snarled. 

Peter lay on the ground, too dazed to stand. Harlan smiled at his girlfriend as she massaged her sore hand.

**********

Radu stalked with animal like instincts. He could hear his prey talking to themselves - the female defending him and the dominant male asserting his supremacy. It was odd that he no longer thought of them as friends or even as separate beings. He only saw intruders and prey.

_Stop this!_ part of him screamed. _Cat's the one who's helped you through all the tough times and Harlan's your best friend!_

Radu ignored the last few scattered thoughts of sympathy that rummaged through his brain. His stomach rumbled for food and his keen hearing soon detected easier prey. Abandoning his former classmates, he set out for a quick meal.

**********

"It'll wear off," Peter said. "The brute said so himself."

Catalina glared at him and Peter shrunk away from her stare. He pressed the bag of cool water onto his sore jaw and tried to make the best of his unpleasant situation.

"He listened to that chant for about a minute when he fought in the war and it took him almost three days for it to 'wear off'," Harlan reminded Peter. "This time, he listened for almost three minutes."

"Which means we could be dodging him for a long time," Catalina said.

Peter shrugged. "All we have to do is sedate him."

"With what?" Harlan asked.

Peter patted his backpack. "A good genius always has an emergency plan. I have tranquilizers and sedative darts in here in case he gets out of control."

"He already is out of control," Harlan remarked.

"Let me see that," Cat said, grabbing the bag.

Before Peter could protest, Cat was taking out all his darts and drugs. She inspected each of the labels carefully. Finally, she threw them all back into the bag.

"Careful!" Peter hissed. "Don't break any."

"Suzee says that one dose of any of these would completely alter Andromedan biology," Catalina said. "We could make his rampage worse, or kill him."

Peter shrugged. Harlan punched him in the shoulder.

"We're not using any of these," Cat said.

"Why?" Peter demanded. "Because your pretend friend thinks it may hurt the beast? I would rather have it be his life than mine!"

"So speaks the man who caused all this in the first place!" Harlan snapped. "Maybe we should just tie you up and wait for Radu to come and get you."

"Suzee isn't pretend," Catalina said in her own defense. 

A large object fell from above them, landing at Harlan's feet. He kicked it with one foot and it rolled over, revealing the features of a dead animal. Harlan's face mirrored complete disgust as he kicked the decapitated head out of their small circle.

"He's waiting," Harlan remarked.

Catalina stood and shouldered her bag. Peter did the same, taking his pack from where Catalina had thrown it.

"What should we do?" Peter asked.

"Run," Catalina said, turning sharply.

As they made a run for the cover of the forest, Radu jumped out from behind one of the nearby bushes. Peter screamed and ran faster, outdistancing both Harlan and Catalina. Radu ran with the steady pace of an Andromedan, eating up the distance between them.

Suddenly, Catalina felt something whiz by her face. She turned and saw Radu fall down, a small point of red forming on his shoulder. Cat turned again and saw Peter, holding a small tranquilizer gun with smoke coming from the barrel.

"Quick!" Peter said. "Let's go!"

Catalina stared at him in shock. She turned again and ran back to where Radu lay on the ground in pain. Harlan called out for her to come back, but she didn't listen. She came to Radu and knelt beside him.

He lay on his face, breathing more rapidly than usual. Carefully, she turned him over and saw that he was unconscious, but his eyes were open. She closed them and tried to find his heartbeat.

"Harlan," she called. "Did you take alien biology?"

"Yeah," he answered, "but I failed it."

"This is important," Cat continued. "What's an Andromedan's average heartbeats per minute supposed to be?"

Harlan ran over and knelt beside her, feeling Radu's pulse.

"Whoa! Way less than that!" Harlan exclaimed.

Radu's face was flushed and getting hotter by the instant. Steam came from his ears and his limbs started to twitch.

"Suzee!" Catalina cried. "What do I do?"

Harlan stared at his friend's face and wondered if it would be the last time it would be alive. Behind them, Peter dropped the gun with a loud thud and fled into the forest.

**********

Radu woke to the sounds of a forest full of life. The sky was dark - or was he blind? No, there were stars above him. It was night time. He heard insects, nocturnal animals, and the crackling of a nearby fire. Gingerly, he raised his head and saw the flames. The sudden light made his head ache more and he lay back down with a moan. As he fell back asleep, he wondered why his limbs felt as heavy as led and where Harlan and Catalina were.

**********

When he next opened his eyes, the sun greeted him. He blinked furiously and heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He still found he could not move and turned his head to see who was coming. By the lightness of the steps and the nervous heartbeat, he guessed it was Catalina. He was right.

"Radu?" she whispered. "Are you all right?"

Something deep within him begged him to jump to his feet and tear her head off. He pushed that feeling back down and smiled.

"Cat? Is that you?" he said. "I was afraid I might have - "

Catalina smiled back. "We're all safe. I'm glad you're back to normal."

He slowly raised himself up to a half sitting position, his body weight supported by his arms behind him. His vision spun for a second and he was forced to close his eyes until his head returned to normal. When he opened them again, Catalina was rummaging through her pack and Harlan was cooking something over a small fire. The Earther saw his friend was awake and smiled.

"Hey, Radu!" he called. "Want some breakfast?"

"Sure," Radu called back. "What are we having?"

Harlan held up a stick. On it was a freshly caught and skinned animal. Radu could still see the raw meat and the pile of bloody skins nearby. Again, he fought down the urge to eat the meat as it was.

"Squirrel," Harlan replied. "It was all I could catch."

Cat made a face. "Harlan, I told you not to tell me what we're eating! Now when I see another squirrel, I'll feel guilty I ate this one."

Radu slowly rose to his feet, the smell of blood drawing him back into his berserk state. His head spun again, and he ignored it as he walked purposely forward.

The creature that had caught the prey knelt over it, guarding it from other predators. Radu's lips curled back into a snarl and he prepared to strike . . . 

"Radu," Catalina called.

_Snap out of it!_ he yelled at himself. 

He shook his head and looked at Catalina. She was looking at him with concern. In each of her hands, she held a small pail. She motioned over her shoulder to the distant stream.

"Will you come with me to get water while Harlan cooks?" she asked.

"S - Sure," Radu answered, rubbing his face with both hands. "I - I guess I'm just not myself right now."

He meant for it to be a warning, but Catalina only smiled warmly and handed him a pail. They started off to the stream.

**********

Harlan ate his small portion of squirrel and waited for Cat and Radu to return. They had been gone for some time and he knew that it took a while to reach the faster moving stream - especially since they were higher up than the lake.

Out of boredom, he picked up the log and read what Catalina had put about their adventure. He skimmed through the days that had already passed until he got to the student evaluation that was to be completed at the end. Curiously, he read his own evaluation:

BAND, HARLAN - Shows excellent leadership abilities in the face of danger. Resourceful and competent.

Harlan smiled and put the compupad down and noticed that it was getting darker out. The small fire had gone out and the meat was getting cold. Taking only a flashlight, Harlan ran towards the stream.

**********

He jumped from the last rock to the opposite side of the stream. The water flowed more quietly at this point and, after scouting further downstream, Harlan had decided that this was the safest point to cross. He had spotted both water pails on the far bank and several spots of blood on the ground. He remembered what Radu had said back at Starcademy

iIt took me a while to convince them that I was fine before they released me./i

"Of course!" Harlan said aloud. "How dumb can I be? The reason it took them a while was because he wasn't completely out of it! That means . . . Oh no! Cat!"

Forgetting stealth, Harlan spun on his heels and ran. Before him, the stream became a river and the river became a waterfall.

**********

"Catalina!" Harlan called, stumbling over rocks.

The roar of the raging water was almost deafening. The banks of the river had become rocky and difficult to walk on. Harlan cursed himself for waiting so long before he went after them. 

"Catalina!" he yelled again.

"Catalina! . . . Catalina! . . . Catalina! . . . " his echo replied.

Harlan slipped and almost rolled into the water. The sun was setting rapidly now, casting long shadows over the rocks and making the journey all the more dangerous. Falling again, Harlan picked himself up and kept moving forward. Finally, his persistence was rewarded.

Radu stood just ahead of him, holding something in his arms. The Andromedan stood at the edge of the waterfall, gazing down the cliff side into the seemingly small pool of water far below. As Harlan came closer, he whirled around and the Earther saw Catalina unconscious in Radu's arms. 

"Cat!" Harlan cried.

"Don't come any closer!" Radu growled. 

From the wild look in Radu's eyes, Harlan decided to obey. He froze where he stood and held up his hands in surrender. Radu stared at him with anger in his eyes. 

"The prey thought it could be the hunter," Radu snarled. He extended the still form of Catalina over the edge of the falls. "The prey must pay the price!"

Harlan watched helplessly as Radu prepared to throw his friend into the waterfall. Before he could release her, his keen hearing picked something up. Radu turned around quickly, dropping Catalina to the rocky ground with an audible thud. Harlan winced in sympathy as she connected with the earth. At the forest's rim, the bushes rustled. As quick as lightning, Radu pounced on the bush and pulled out Peter.

Harlan ran to where Catalina lay and inspected her. She had received a nasty blow to the head, which had left the rocks that Harlan had found blood stained. She was unconscious, but other than that had no obvious injuries. Harlan cradled her in his arms and watched Radu go after Peter.

The Andromedan held Peter by his neck, which caused the tranquilizer gun to fall from Peter's limp fingers. Radu shook him and prepared to tighten his grasp on the boys neck.

"Radu! Wait!" Harlan shouted.

Radu turned and stared at Harlan again. Peter made a strange gurgling noise from where he hung.

"It's me," the Earther said. "Harlan. You have to fight it, buddy. Put that wall back up and control yourself."

Radu shook his head and released Peter. The boy slid to the ground, gasping for air. Radu clenched at his temples, battling the effects of the war chant.

"That's it," Harlan encouraged. "Get it out of your system."  
Radu screamed. His voice let out the pent up rage he felt and made the top of the trees rattle. Peter looked up in terror from where he sat at the Andromedan's feet. Wearily, Radu sank to his knees. Peter scurried backwards, staying out of arms reach. 

Harlan gently lay Catalina back down and walked over to where his best friend sat. Radu seemed tired and worn, but unhurt. Harlan knelt beside him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," Harlan said quietly. "How are you?"

Radu rubbed his face with his hands, as if trying to scrub off everything he had done. "I - I think I'm okay, now."

Harlan smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good. Now, let's head back to camp and actually finish the mission."

Radu smiled wryly. "You think we'll get A's for surviving this?"

"We better," Harlan laughed.

**********

The transport landed in the same field where it had dropped them off. Catalina's head was bandaged, but she was fine. Peter was still shaken and had lost his voice and Radu kept his eyes downcast, refusing to look at anyone. 

The rest of the mission had flown by, with all four members of the team working together. They had drawn a rough map of their designated area and had completed all the skills necessary for survival. They all agreed that it was time to go home.

Radu sat next to Catalina on the transport as it headed into orbit. He stared at his boots until she put her hand on his. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and she smiled.

"I'm sorry," Radu said for the millionth time.

Catalina said nothing, but handed him the log of their mission. Radu looked at her questioningly, but she had turned away again to talk to Harlan. Radu scanned the compupad and read the final entry that Catalina had written.

LOG, FINAL ENTRY - The mission was successful. Minor injuries to Catalina after she slipped on a rock and hit her head as well as to Peter after he was stung by an insect and received a swollen throat. First Aid administered by Harlan Band. 

Puzzled by the entry, Radu read the rest of the log. He found no mention of the tape Peter had played or his berserk rampage. He raised his head and saw Catalina smiling at him again.

"But - " Radu stammered.

"Peter won't say a thing," Catalina promised, her eyes penetrating the other boys. Peter nodded furiously. "I calmly explained to him that if he said anything, the principal would know that he caused it."

Radu smiled and blushed. "Thank you," he said.

Catalina patted him on the shoulder. "Don't mention it," she said. "After all, you are the reason we're all passing this course!"

Radu laughed as they headed back to the Starcademy.


	6. Reunion

REUNION

Catalina yawned and pushed a stray lock of rainbow coloured hair behind her ear. With a bored sigh, she allowed her thoughts to wander as her eyes continued to skim the words on the compupad screen. Like she usually did on boring days at Starcademy, she thought back to the time she was trapped on Yensid.

**********

She could clearly recall one specific event that had happened only a few days after she had arrived. She had gone to the market with Clara, Suzee's mom, and Cassi, Suzee's little sister. She had still been shy around her best friend's family and had been in awe of the coloured uniforms that every Yensidian wore. Clara, dressed in the red jumpsuit of a Healer, headed for the herbal stands while Cassi, in the white uniform of a child not yet chosen by a guild, scampered off to play. Catalina was left standing alone, fingering the sleeve of the Starcademy uniform she had insisted on wearing. She had noticed some of the uniformed Yensidians walking in clustered groups with others dressed the same as they were. Feeling more alone than before, she had run off to find Clara.

**********

The thud of a dropped compupad and a frustrated grunt snapped her back to reality. She looked around the study hall and her eyes rested on Mattar. The Mercurian had thrown his compupad down in disgust, an unfinished math problem on the screen. Matt ran his hands over his bald head and leaned back in his chair. Feeling someone else's eyes on him, he looked up and met Cat's gaze.

"Wanna go to the 'sphere?" he asked.

"What about your assignment?" Cat said.

Matt made a face at it. "I'll ask Clito to help me with it later. I don't want to think anymore."

Cat laughed. "Sure. Let's get out of here."

They stood and gathered their things together. As they left their table, they saw a familiar shape heading towards them. It was Clito, the Neptunian they were looking for.

"Hi, guys," she greeted them. "I was just coming to invite you to the fencing match."

"What match?" Catalina asked.

"Harlan and Radu's. The winner does the loser's after class assignments for the rest of the week," Clito replied.

Cat laughed. "With those two, it's not much of a prize."

"Let's go," Clito urged. "I don't want to miss the beginning!"

Catalina grinned at Mattar and the trio headed out of the study hall. As they exited through the heavy doors, Clito turned around to look at Catalina again.

"Where's your friend?" she asked.

"Who?"

"The one no one else can see, except you and sometimes me," Clito elaborated.

"Suzee? She's right . . . "

Catalina did a full 360° turn. When she faced Clito and Mattar again, her eyes were full of concern. Thinking she may have missed something in her previous search, Cat looked around herself again. Finally, she stumbled to a nearby chair and sank into it.

"Cat?" Mattar asked gently.

"She's gone," Cat said softly. "She's gone and I don't know where!"

**********

Fencing match forgotten, Harlan sat next to Catalina with his arm around her shoulders protectively. Rosie sat on the Saturnian's other side with Bova hovering over her and Mattar sitting next to her. Radu sat next to Harlan, with Clito next to him. The six of them were trying to console their friend.

"I'm sure she'll come back," Radu said for the tenth time.

"It's not like her to just leave and not say good bye," Harlan added.

"Unless something happened to her," Bova remarked.

Rosie elbowed him in the ribs, her face uncharacteristically stern. Bova shrugged.

"She could be dead," Catalina muttered. "Or hurt, or dying."

"Way to go," Mattar told Bova.

"You need to get this out of your mind," Harlan said. "She's probably just out of range or something. Why don't we go see a holofilm? My treat."

Catalina nodded mutely and allowed herself to be lead out of the gym and into the hallways of Starcademy. Radu and Rosie followed the group, bringing up the rear.

"She needs someone else to talk to," Radu whispered. "Why don't we find Ms Davenport or Commander Goddard? They knew Suzee too."

"Good idea," Rosie agreed. "I'll get Ms Davenport and you get the Commander. We'll bring them to the holofilm theatre and they can talk to Catalina there."

The two broke off from the group and headed down different corridors. Bova watched them leave and got an idea himself. As they passed his bunkroom, the Uranusian slipped inside. Clito, Mattar, Harlan, and Catalina continued down the hallway to the holofilm.

**********

"So, you see, Commander," Radu concluded, "she needs someone to reassure her that Suzee's fine. She's just not listening to us and we're all worried about her."

Seth Goddard, former StarDog Commander, nodded in agreement. He had put aside his class' assignments to talk with Radu and had come to his decision.

"I'll do what I can," he said. "I don't know what I can say that will make her feel better. She was far closer to Suzee than any of us."

"Thanks, Commander," Radu said.

"Any time, Mr. Radu," Goddard replied.

**********

Bova raced down the hall. The holofilm was almost over and he knew that it would be difficult to find his friends after it was done. He ran past the galley and smelled that days dinner cooking the oven. He also knew that the cooks would be getting rid of that days lunch.

"Maybe I can persuade a quick snack out of them," Bova remarked to himself.

He did a U-turn and entered the kitchens.

**********

Catalina came out of the holofilm feeling worse than before. The film had been depressing and had sunk her even further into her gloom. What was she going to do without Suzee? Who would talk to her when she was supposed to be listening to something boring? Who would help her figure out those hard problems she sometimes couldn't do? Who would she share private thoughts with, alone at night?

As they came out of the theatre, she saw Rosie and Radu waiting for them with Ms Davenport and Commander Goddard. She seemed confused for a second as almost the entire crew of the Christa stood in front of her.

"Cat," Goddard began. "We hear about Suzee's disappearance and wanted to reassure you that . . . "

"Guys!" a voice sounded from the opposite end of the corridor.

Bova came charging down the hall, his mouth stained with the spicy sauce they had had for lunch.

"Mr. Bova," Ms Davenport scolded as he got closer. "Please do not run in the halls. We are not at a race track."

"Sorry, Ms Davenport," Bova replied automatically. "Guys! I've got great news. Remember that receiver Suzee and I made on the planet? Well, I've got another one and I think we can reach Yensid with it!"

Catalina's face broke into a smile for the first time since she realized Suzee was gone. She ran towards Bova and engulfed him in a huge hug and kissed him on the cheek. Rosie and Harlan's faces both took on an expression of jealousy.

"What are we waiting for?" Cat exclaimed.

The group headed down the hall to the boys' dormitory.

**********

Bova played with the dials of the communications device he had set up on his bed. Catalina stood behind him, eyes bright with excitement. The others clustered around the room, waiting for Bova to finish the device.

"There," he said. "All you have to do is push this and it should work."

"Should?" Catalina repeated.

"I'm not promising anything."

Catalina took a deep breath and pushed the button. The screen fizzled to life, showing static. An image slowly appeared, rippling up and down, sometimes going dark and reappearing later.

"The connection's really bad," Harlan remarked.

"What did you expect?" Bova asked.

"That's Suzee's house," Cat said. "I recognize it."

Something moved across the screen very quickly. It took a long time for it to return, but when it did, the picture became more clear.

"Suzee!" Catalina called.

The blurry face froze at hearing her name and turned to face the screen.

"-at?" Suzee said. "How -id you rea- me? Ne-ermind."

The static returned, momentarily blocking Suzee from view.

"Nee- help," Suzee continued. "I can use the -mension portal to bring you he-, but it's risk-"

"Try anyway," Catalina pleaded. "We want to help."

The static returned. "Others -an come too. Mind - "

The image went dead. Catalina turned to face her friends, her eyes pleading them to come with her to Yensid. They each nodded in turn, including Clito and Mattar. Commander Goddard and Ms Davenport stepped back, indicating that the matter was entirely in their hands.

A strange yellow glow appeared in the center of the bunkroom. Catalina headed straight for it when Harlan caught her arm.

"Relax, Harlan," Catalina assured him. "It's the same kind of dimensional tear that got me into Yensid to begin with. We have to hurry through. Suzee needs us."

Harlan nodded as Catalina jumped into the yellow tear. He followed with Rosie and Radu right behind him, Radu holding a small bag closely to his chest. Bova came last.

"Keep this on," the Uranusian said before going through, pointing at the communications device. "We may need to contact you."

Commander Goddard nodded. As Mattar prepared to jump through, the portal closed.

"I guess we weren't invited," Clito remarked.

**********

Radu shut his eyes and squeezed them tight. He felt a strong wind carry him along the yellow tunnel, with a high pitch wailing noise so loud he wondered if it was driving the others crazy as well. He could vaguely sense the others nearby, but he didn't dare open his eyes to make sure. He was afraid of what he might see as they sped along to Yensid.

Abruptly, the wind died and he felt himself falling. He heard three soft thuds as his companions hit the ground, as well as a startled cry from somewhere above him. Almost before he could complete the thought, he found the ground and hit. The momentum of the fall made him roll a few feet before sliding to a stop. Only then did he dare crack open an eyelid.

Radu saw a strange world before him. He remained motionless on the ground, being an observer before a visitor. He lay on a thick carpet that smelled musty - like the classrooms at Starcademy. Ahead of him, he saw a wall that was painted a pale red colour and a plant that hung from an unseen location while the vines dangled in his line of sight. He heard a strange, mechanical barking from another room and footsteps from an upper level. Several seconds after the fall, he raised himself to his elbows and took a good look around.

"Radu!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

"Hi, Suzee," he said.

Suzee stood in front of him, wearing the same blue jumpsuit she had worn when they had first met. She helped Radu to his feet and gave him a tight hug.

"Great entrance," Harlan mumbled from the floor behind the Andromedan. "Could you have made it more painful?"

"Probably," Suzee replied. "How are you guys?"

"Great," Rosie said cheerfully.

"Great," Bova said sarcastically at the same time.

"Suzee, what happened?" Catalina demanded. "When I lost contact with you, I thought the worst!"

"I'm fine," Suzee said, "for now."

"What do you mean, for now?" Harlan asked.

"Something's going one here," Suzee explained. "Something not good. I need your help."

"Is this 'something' the reason you couldn't talk to Cat anymore?" Bova asked.

Suzee nodded. "It's affecting all the Guiders. The Healers are at their wits end and the Scientists are trying to come up with some kind of chemical cure. Mother and Father are constantly debating on the better solution while asking me if I'm okay. When I lost communications with you, Cat, it took me forever to convince them it hadn't gotten to me."

"What's a Guider?" Harlan asked.

"What's 'it'?" Radu asked.

Suzee rolled her eyes. "This will take some time. Why don't we stop standing in my hallway and sit somewhere. Are you guys hungry? Mother's making some lunch for Cassi and we can grab a bite."

"Who's Cassi?" Rosie wondered.

"Her little sister," Catalina replied. "Watch out for Sprocket, her electric dog. I rewired him to like strangers, but who knows what Suzee's done to him since then."

**********

Suzee sipped a cup of fruit flavoured drink and looked again at the faces of the friends she never thought she'd see again. Harlan making faces at the strange meat she'd given him, Radu politely drinking his juice, Rosie taking in all the wonders of Yensid, and Bova devouring everything she put in front of him. She had missed them all terribly after she had left, but had heard about everything through Catalina. She put down the cup and banished her reminiscing to another part of her brain, concentrating on the immediate problem at hand.

"Here's the situation," she said, capturing everyone's attention. "A kind of plague has broken out among the Guiders. The other groups are afraid they will be the next affected, so drastic measures were taken to ensure no outside contamination would arise. The Guiders were cut off from their friends until the epidemic was cleaned up. That's why I was cut off from Catalina so suddenly."

"A Guider," Catalina said, "is a person who has an 'imaginary' friend in another dimension. They act as Guides to that person for their entire lives. Suzee is my Guide, which is why I can see her and no one else can. They find their friends by analysis of brain waves until they find two that match. Guiders always wear blue for easy recognition."

"The Scientists think that this isn't a plague, but a deliberate effort by someone or something to wipe Yensid off the dimensional grid. They're scouring all the dimensions for potential threats and shutting down trade, which is angering the Officials, the Artists and especially the Traders. Yensid is falling apart and no one can stop it."

"What are the symptoms of the plague?" Rosie inquired.

"Complete mind wipe. No thoughts, memories, or brain power of any king. People are blaming the Reachers more than anything else. Before the mind wipe, the victim usually experiences fever, fatigue, and loss of muscle control," Suzee replied.

"Sounds like the Chektarian Spring Flu," Rosie said. "Except for the mind wiping, of course."

"What are Reachers?" Radu asked.

Suzee paled slightly and took a deep breath. "Anyone who can manipulate their minds to influence others."

"Like - " Rosie started before Catalina clamped her hand over the Mercurian's mouth.

"Anyone with those kinds of powers are sent to the Out Reaches, and exile from Yensid and any other dimensional city," Suzee finished.

The others nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. If they revealed Suzee's powers to the other Yensidians, she would be exiled forever from her home and family. They would have to solve this without her powers.

**********

Suzee lead the way through the winding streets of Yensid, towards the Science Hall. Catalina walked beside her, glad for the company of her Guide and dearest friend yet again. The others trailed behind, taking in the sights of the city.

The streets of Yensid were long and narrow, without any hovercars blocking the roads. Yensidians walked the streets, or rode hover boards or primitive looking bicycles from point A to point B. Each person they passed wore a different coloured jumpsuit that corresponded with their chosen profession.

"Who are those orange people?" Harlan asked.

"Officials," Suzee replied. "They run the city, as well as provide food for everyone."

Ahead of them loomed a large, domed building. It was spherical and made of glass, tinted darker at the bottom. A small garden circled the building and various prototypes of machines and other devices littered the pathways.

"This is the Science Hall," Suzee said proudly. "If I hadn't found Catalina to Guide, I would have been a Scientist. Even still, I am welcome here and they treat me as one of their own."

"Cool," Harlan said.

The group entered the Hall. Inside were too many sights to see. Hundreds of experiments were taking place in all locations of the dome. Things were being dropped, run over, and blown up all in attempt to prove some theory or another. Suzee marched past all the hubbub, waving to an occasional Scientists that looked up and saw her. She headed straight for a back room where two men were pouring chemical compounds. They looked up and smiled as Suzee appeared.

The first of the two men was tall and skinny, with dark blue hair and blue eyes hidden behind goggles. He wore a yellow jumpsuit with a white lab coat over top. The man standing beside him was shorter and more plump, with a thin mop of red hair on top of a slightly pointed head and green eyes behind thick glasses. He also wore a yellow jumpsuit and white lab coat.

"Hello, Suzee," the taller man said pleasantly.

"Hello, Martin," Suzee greeted him. "Hi, Timm."

The shorter man dipped his head in greeting. He peered around her to greet the others in the group. "Catalina?" he gasped.

"Hi, Timm," Cat said, moving over to give the small man a hug. "Long time, no see."

"How are you feeling?" Martin asked, his voice full of concern.

Suzee seemed angry. "Will everyone please stop asking me that? I'm a Guider, not an invalid!"

Martin took a step back, involuntarily flinching from Suzee's harsh words. She immediatly regretted alarming him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly. "What are you working on?"

"A cure," Timm said proudly. "This will stop the mind erasure of the Guiders."

"In theory," Martin added.

"Can I see?" Bova asked.

Martin and Timm looked to Suzee, who nodded. They stepped back and allowed the Uranusian to toy with the chemicals.

"Hmmm . . . " Bova thought aloud. "I see what you're trying to do here, but your theory seems to have some holes in it."

"Which is what I've been telling them for a really long time," Suzee added.

"This may take some time," Bova continued.

"Time that we don't want to stand around here and waste," Harlan interjected. "Can we go somewhere less school related? No offense, science guys."

Catalina put on an expression of shock. "Harlan Band? Not interested in school?"

"I would like to meet Suzee's mom," Rosie piped up. "If she's a Yensidian doctor, maybe she could show me a trick or two."

"I want to see some action," Harlan clapped his hands together, emphasizing his point. "How about you, Radu?"

The Andromedan seemed distracted. Harlan hit him in the arm to get his attention. Radu blinked and looked at his friend.

"What?" he said. "Uh, yeah. Anything you guys want to do is fine."

"If it's okay with you guys," Bova said, "I want to stay here and work on this formula."

"Sure," Suzee said. "We'll tour Yensid and come back and get you in time for dinner."

The space cases said good bye to Martin and Timm and headed back into the streets of Yensid.

**********

The market was full of life and activity. Officials patrolled the area, keeping the younger people out of trouble and keeping the older people in line. Artists and Healers, Traders and Scientists all had booths set up. There were people from other dimensions trading their world's goods, and children dressed in white running underfoot.

Radu hardly saw any of this. Something was lurking in the back of his mind, tickling his senses until he found it difficult to concentrate on anything else. His friends swarmed around in blurs of colour and sound, yet he could not bring himself to share their enthusiasm. Something was amiss, something other than the strange illness plaguing Suzee's people. He could feel it all around him.

"Radu?" Catalina asked, putting her hand on his arm.

He turned to look at her. Her eyes were full of concern and he forced himself back into his body.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"What's wrong?"

"I - " he faltered, searching for words to describe it. "I don't know. Something just - doesn't feel right."

A child ran up to him and pulled on his pant leg to get his attention. Radu looked down at the child, dressed in white, and smiled.

"Why is your hair so long, mister?" the child asked.

"Cassi!" Catalina exclaimed.

The child looked over to Catalina and her face lit up in excitement.

"Catalina!" Cassi said happily. "I never thought I'd see you again!"

The two girls embraced each other fondly. Radu watched the reunion until he heard a cry from somewhere in the crowd. His head snapped up sharply, ears perked and listening.

"What is it?" Catalina asked.

"Rosie," Radu replied. "She's calling for help."

Catalina scooped Cassi into her arms. "Lead the way."

**********

Suzee sat on the ground, a stunned look on her face. Rosie knelt beside her while Harlan frantically scanned the crowd for someone dressed in red. Radu pushed his way through the crowd towards them with Cat and Cassi half a step behind.

"Suzee!" Cat gasped.

Suzee looked up at her in a detached sort of way. A crowd was forming around them as Radu joined Harlan in searching for a Healer. As they looked around, Radu noticed someone dressed in purple running in the opposite direction, away from the crowd. The figure looked over his shoulder once and Radu squinted his eyes to make out a face. 

"What happened?" he asked, coming over to where his friend sat.

"I was walking," Suzee said, "then someone bumped into me and a few seconds later, I fell. I don't think my legs work anymore."

Radu picked Suzee up as if she were a child. Catalina led the way to the Healing Centre where the other victims of the mysterious plague were being looked after.

"Is Suzee gonna die?" Cassi asked.

"No," Catalina soothed. "Nothing is wrong with your sister. She'll be just fine."

**********

Clara reviewed her daughter's charts and sighed. Suzee was lying in a bed, completely annoyed at her friends for bringing her here. She insisted she was fine, but her mother wasn't as convinced. The tests they had performed on her had shown that she was in the earliest stages of the disease. Clara sighed again and put the folder down on her desk.

Clara was an older woman of about thirty or forty years. She had the same brown hair that Suzee had, streaked with red, blue, and green. She carried herself with a noble grace, indicating her high rank among the Healers. Blue eyes gazed nervously across the desk at the stranger who had become her temporary assistant.

Rosie picked the chart up and read what Clara had written. With Suzee, Clara had found the little pink girl who proved to be an excellent assistant. She watched Rosie's face remain calm and collected as she read her friend's fate. 

"Have you had any other cases detected this early?" Rosie asked.

Clara shook her head. "None that we've been able to stop. If the other patients are any model, Suzee will be in the second stages by tomorrow afternoon."

"Do you have any possible cures yet?" 

"Some, but none of them have worked."

"What about the chemicals from the Science Hall?"

Clara made a face. "We try to stay away from them. Who knows what those Scientists have concocted."

Realizing she had hit a nerve, Rosie backed away from the subject. 

"Rosie! Rosie!" Harlan yelled from somewhere down the hall. "Get over here fast!"

Rosie jumped to her feet and ran down the hall to where the others had gathered around Suzee's bed. When she arrived, she noticed that everyone had cleared away from where Radu was sitting and were looking at him worriedly. Before Rosie could open her mouth to ask what was going on, Radu sneezed - and shot snow from his ears.

"Not again," Rosie sighed.

"I knew something was wrong," Cat said. "He's been acting strange all day."

Rosie sat next to Radu and slowly began to increase her temperature. Clara stood at the foot of Suzee's bed, watching with interest. Rosie took Radu's hand and began to warm him, increasing her temperature until both of them glowed. They remained like this, motionless, for several minutes before Rosie released her friend. Radu sniffled.

"Thanks," he said. "I don't know what came over me."

"Amazing," Clara remarked. "How did you do that?"

"I'm Mercurian," Rosie said, as if that explained everything.

**********

Harlan and Cat stood outside the Healing Center, looking around at the busy city. The Center was a haven, an escape from the busy, outside world. Sitting in the grass, Catalina lay on her back and looked up at the blue sky.

Daylight was fading into nighttime, early for this time of year. The three moons of Yensid rose into the sky as the sun relinquished its position above. Harlan lay next to her and they watched the stars come out together.

A violent sneeze sounded from the doorway to the Healing Center and Catalina rolled over onto her stomach to see Radu standing in the doorway. He was wrapped in the same multi coloured blanket she had made him while he was in prison. Cat was surprised that he had brought it with him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Harlan asked as he came to sit with them.

Radu pulled the blanket closer. "I'm fine," he replied. "I just have a cold. I'm not used to these low temperatures."

He was right. It was several degrees colder on Yensid than it was at the Starcademy - and it was colder still than on Radu's native planet of Andromeda. Radu sneezed again and pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders.

"I can't believe you brought that with you," Catalina said. "It's just a crummy blanket."

Radu pulled it protectively closer. "It makes me feel safer. Besides, it got me out of the prison and kept me warm there, didn't it?"

"Lay off," Harlan agreed. "Didn't you have a security blanket when you were a kid?"

Cat shrugged and rolled back onto her back. The stars appeared slowly, making strange constellations in an unfamiliar sky. She ignored Radu's sniffles and Harlan's pretend snores and concentrated on the heavens, loosing herself in the night.

"What are you doing out here?" Rosie demanded. 

Catalina jumped and realized that she had lost herself so much, she had fallen asleep. She stretched and sat up to find Rosie standing over Radu with her hands on her hips. Harlan sat a few feet away, finding Rosie's mothering of Radu very amusing.

"Getting some fresh air," Radu replied.

"You'll get a cold," Rosie accused.

"I already have a cold."

"It will get worse, now come inside."

She took Radu's hand and the Andromedan allowed himself to be brought inside. Harlan and Catalina exchanged a look and started to laugh.

**********

Suzee's condition had worsened by the next morning. She was still conscious, but now complained of being cold all the time, despite the mountain of blankets the apprentices provided. Rosie stuck a thermometer into Suzee's protesting mouth and waited patiently.

"Get those blankets off of her," Rosie ordered after reading the thermometer. "Her temperature's almost as high as mine!"

"I really hope you're exaggerating," Bova said.

The Uranusian had joined his friends after working almost all night with Martin and Timm. They had come up with a prototype mixture that had graduated to the next level of testing.

As the apprentices removed Suzee's blankets, Radu sat in a large, comfy chair with a heat lamp over his head. His cold had also gotten worse and the lamp prevented him from snowing again.

"Shhh," he moaned. "My head hurts."

Rosie went over to where he sat with a pair of makeshift earmuffs. She put them on his head and he promptly fell asleep.

"First Suzee, now Radu," Bova mused. "Could it be a similar strain of the same disease?"

"I hope not," Rosie said. "Clara told me she lost another one last night. Complete neurological shut down."

"I hope Harlan and Cat are having better luck with this thing than we are," Bova said.

**********

Harlan and Catalina searched the market place. They received many stares because of their alien, gray uniforms, but they ignored those people. They looked for clues as to Suzee's sudden illness.

"She said she someone bumped her right before her legs gave out," Cat said. "Maybe the disease is passed by touch."

Harlan kept looking. "I have no idea what we're looking for."

"Clues," Cat insisted.

"To what? A disease? Aren't those kind of clues too small to see?" 

Catalina sighed. "Maybe you're right."

She sat down on a nearby bench and put her head in her hands. Harlan sat beside her.

"Don't give up," Harlan said. "Suzee will be fine, I'm sure of it."

He stood again and held his hand out to Catalina. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. Smiling, Harlan was about to say something when he was shoved from behind.

"Hey!" Harlan exclaimed, turning around. "What's the - "

A form huddled beneath a multi coloured blanket stood before him. It sneezed.

"Radu!" Cat said. "What are you doing out here? Rosie will kill you if you get any more sick."

"Ran away," Radu sniffed. "Remembered a clue. I saw - " he paused long enough to sneeze, " - a man running away. Saw his face, too. I'd know him if I saw him again."

"A man running away?" Harlan said. "Maybe he just doesn't like crowds."

"Maybe," Radu said, "maybe not. Should check it out."

"We'll check it out," Cat said. "You go back to bed."

Radu shook his head. "Nope. I know his face, you don't."

"Fine," Harlan said. "Just don't breath on me. I don't want whatever you got."

**********

"Where's Radu?" Rosie asked, returning to Suzee's bed with a tray of food.

Bova was sleeping on the empty bed beside Suzee's. The Yensidian blinked at her care giver.

"I would shrug, except I can't move my shoulders," Suzee said. 

The disease had gotten to all her muscles below her neck. Fortunately, she could still speak, eat, and turn her head to a certain degree.

"Were you sleeping?" Rosie asked.

"Yeah. When I fell asleep, he was right there. When I woke up, he was gone," Suzee said.

Rosie stomped her foot in frustration. "Fiddlesticks," she swore.

"Fiddle what?" Bova asked, waking up.

"You were supposed to watch them," Rosie accused. "Now Radu's missing!"

"Just follow the sound of his sneezes and you'll find him," Bova yawned.

Rosie put the tray in front of Suzee and shook Bova. The Uranusian sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"No, you're going to find him," Rosie said. "I have a lot to do here."

Bova found himself on his feet and being shoved towards the door. Soon, he was standing outside, looking around in total confusion. 

Rosie shut the door behind him and Bova shrugged. He settled down against a tree to finish his nap.

"How much trouble could a sick Andromedan get into?" Bova asked himself as he drifted off.

**********

Harlan and Catalina followed Radu through the crowded marketplace, towards the City Hall at the far end. Radu wore his earmuffs, complaining of a headache that made Catalina wish he'd return to the Healing Center, but he stubbornly kept walking. 

"The man wore purple," Radu said. 

"Only Elders can wear purple, and it couldn't have been an Elder," Cat said. "They're too distinguished."

"Could the guy have been wearing purple to frame the Elders?" Harlan asked.

Catalina shook her head. "And risk being seen by another Elder? I doubt it. Most people know the Elders, if not by name than by sight. New Elders are initiated into the City Hall in a public ceremony where the entire city meets him."

"Okay, no impostors," Harlan said. "So if Radu is right and it was an Elder, how do we flush him out?"

"Of where?" Radu asked.

Harlan rolled his eyes. "It's an expression. It means how do we make everyone else see that he's guilty?"

"Why didn't you just say that?" Radu sneezed again.

"We can't," Catalina replied to Harlan's question. "Unless there's solid proof, there's no way we can accuse an Elder."

"Too bad we can't get Suzee to go into his head," Harlan muttered under his breath.

"Shh!" Catalina hissed, hitting Harlan on the arm. "Don't even joke about that."

"Sorry," Harlan apologized, rubbing his sore arm. "Now what?"

"Find solid proof," Radu said.

**********

Radu boosted Harlan up to the second story window. Catalina had gone to the front, distracting the guards and secretaries with useless questions until she was sure the boys were safely inside. Harlan grunted as he touched the sill and peered inside. Satisfied the room was deserted, he jimmied the lock and slid the window open. 

Inside, the room was dark and dusty. Boxes were stacked everywhere, some new, some caked with dust. A sound from the window made Harlan turn to see Radu jump nimbly inside, his blanket forgotten on the grass below.

"Looks like a store room," Harlan remarked in a whisper.

Radu put his finger to his face to avoid a sneeze and a small jet of snow came from his ears. Harlan shook his head as Radu shrugged apologetically.

"What are we looking for?" Radu asked.

"Anything that can carry a disease in it," Harlan replied.

Harlan moved off to the left while Radu headed to the right, each intent on searching the boxes. As he looked, Radu noticed that each of the boxes was labeled with the name of the Elder to whom the box belonged.

"Don't bother with the really dusty ones," Harlan said. "They probably haven't been opened in decades. Check out the recent ones first."

Radu nodded and moved to the ones closest to the door.

**********

Bova woke up with a yawn and looked at the sun's position. He judged that he had been asleep for a few hours at least, unless it was the next day already. He stretched and rubbed his sore back. Why was he outside, leaning against a tree? He sneezed and suddenly remembered his quest. He was supposed to find Radu and bring him back before Rosie over heated.

Rising to his feet, he headed to the Science Hall. At least while he was searching for Radu, he could check on the cure that Martin and Timm were finishing up. Maybe the Andromedan's illness could give them more clues as to the origin of the disease.

**********

There was a knock at the window. Radu pulled his head out of the box he was looking through and headed to the window. Catalina stood outside, holding his blanket and frantically waving. Carefully, Radu slid open the window.

"What?" he whispered.

"The distraction didn't work," Catalina said urgently. "They're probably going to search the building!"

Harlan came up behind Radu and swore. 

"What did you tell them?" he demanded. 

"I just said that I was trying to locate an Elder who could help me with a small problem I was having," Cat said. "I thought they would buy it."

Radu headed back to the box he had been nosing through and sneezed at the dust. Outside the door, he heard footsteps rushing up the stairs.

"I think they're coming," he called to Harlan. 

Harlan swore again and frantically shoving things back into their proper boxes. As he did, a small, silver pen fell out of a pile of papers. Radu picked it up.

"What's this?" he asked.

"No time," Harlan hissed. "Drop it and let's get out of here."

Radu shoved the pen in his pocket and glanced at the name scribbled on top of the box. Harlan jumped out of the window and Radu did the same. They landed with ease just as security guards opened the door. Running, they headed back to the market place.

**********

Rosie was furious as Harlan, Catalina and Radu came into the Healing Center. Both boys were covered in dust and grass stains and had ashamed looks on their faces. Catalina smiled as Rosie let them both have it - especially Radu.

"You should have stayed here!" she said. "You're just going to wear yourself down and get sicker if you run around Yensid like this."

Radu bowed his head and shuffled his feet.

"And you," Rosie said, turning on Harlan. "You should have brought him back here as soon as you saw him, not brought him to a dusty office to search for something neither of you have ever seen before."

"But - " Harlan stammered.

"We did find something," Radu interrupted. 

He took the silver pen out of his pocket and showed it to Rosie. The Mercurian momentarily forgot her anger as she picked up the pen and turned it around in her fingers. 

"Where did you find this?" she asked.

"In the box of one of the Elders," Radu replied.

He sneezed a few times and shivered, a trickle of snow coming from his ears. Harlan, who was standing right beside him, brushed the snow from his shoulder and gave the Andromedan a dirty look.

Rosie put the pen in her pocket and took a hold of Radu's hand.

"You," she said firmly. "Are going to bed."

Radu didn't argue and followed Rosie to the empty bed beside Suzee. The native Yensidian was sleeping peacefully, the illness having moved from her muscles to her immune system. She had the same symptoms as Radu - only without the snow. She remained paralyzed from the neck down and was steadily getting weaker.

"How is she?" Catalina asked, going to Suzee's bed side.

"I don't know," Rosie sighed. "Whenever I think she's getting better, she suddenly gets worse. This disease is unlike anything I've ever seen."

Catalina nodded silently, staring down at her Guide's face. Harlan came up beside her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"She'll pull through," Radu assured her. "She's got the best doctors in the dimension looking after her."

Rosie took the pen out of her pocket again and sighed. Suddenly, she raised her head and looked at the faces of all her friends.

"Where's Bova?" she asked.

**********

Nightmares plagued Radu's dreams. He kept seeing his friends dying all around him. First Suzee to the illness, then Rosie to exhaustion, followed by an explosion in the Science Hall he knew involved Bova. All he could do was watch and listen to the tortured cries of his friends as they begged him to help. A deep laugh penetrated through the cries and he saw the face of the man who had infected Suzee.

Sitting upright, Radu gasped for air as his eyes snapped open. It was night and Suzee slept on the bed next to his, machines monitoring her condition while the Healers were at home. Radu wiped the cold sweat off his face and tried to shove the image of the laughing man out of his vision, but he couldn't.

Sensing that sleep would not come easily, Radu rose from his bed and walked around. He still felt sick from the cold that was coursing through his body, but he knew that it couldn't last forever. Sniffing, he headed to Clara's office.

The office was dark and he had trouble finding the lights. Soon, the office was illuminated in a dull glow that revealed Clara's desk, chair, and computer. Curious to name the face, Radu sat in the chair and went through the Yensidian City Hall Member's book. In no time, he saw the face.

The man was fairly old, with dark gray hair and sloping eyebrows. His eyes were black and the skin fell from his cheekbones, giving him a permanent scowl. Radu shivered as he saw the face again and read the name underneath.

****

Senior Elder, Division 6 - Cyril Torman

Radu's eyes widened as he recognized the name that had been scribbled on the box that had contained the strange silver pen. It had been Cyril Torman as well. 

Radu turned off the computer and shuffled back to his bed, the only movement was the security cameras that followed him. Thinking that he had solved the mystery, Radu drifted off to sleep.

**********

When Harlan woke up the next morning, Rosie and Clara were already gone. Cassi sat at the table with Tomas, Suzee's father and Bova. The three of them were already finishing breakfast when Harlan entered.

"Morning, sleepy head," Cassi said happily.

"Morning," Harlan replied. "Where's Rosie?"

"She went with Clara to the Healing Center early this morning," Tomas said. "I think they had another emergency with one of the Guider patients."

Harlan could see the worry in Tomas' face for his daughter, lying between life and death. A yawn from behind announced the arrival of Catalina, still in her pajamas. She sat between Harlan and Cassi and began to eat.

"There was an emergency at the Healing Center this morning," Harlan told her.

Catalina forgot about her food and turned to Harlan. "Is Suzee?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Harlan said. "When you're done, we'll go and see. Coming, Bova?"

The Uranusian shook his head. "The chemical Martin and Timm and I made has reached the final stage of testing - human testing. I want to see the results."

"So, you'll be in the Healing Center anyway?" Cat asked.

"Yeah," Bova said. "But I have to go to the Science Hall first, get some stuff. Are you going to eat that?"

Catalina shook her head and Bova speared the pancake and brought it to his mouth.

**********

Rosie met Harlan and Catalina outside the Healing Center. She looked tired, worried, and sad all at the same time. Harlan and Cat dashed up the pathway to the entrance and stopped in front of their friend.

"Rosie, what's going on?" Harlan asked.

"Is Suzee okay?" Catalina said.

Rosie passed a tired hand over her face and took a deep breath.

"Suzee's fine," she said.

Catalina breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. 

"But Radu isn't," Rosie finished.

"What?" Harlan whispered, his face full of shock.

"Radu took a turn for the worse," Rosie explained. "I don't know how his cold could have mutated so rapidly, but it has and I'm afraid he's fallen into a coma. We have him hooked up to a few machines, monitoring his condition and helping him breath, but we don't know if they're going to be enough."

Catalina put a hand to her mouth and tears fell from her eyes. She held onto Harlan's arm for support as Rosie led them both inside to see Radu.

**********

Radu had been moved to another bed, across the hall from where Suzee watched, now fully awake. Radu was circled on all sides by machines and had tubes going in and out of his body. Catalina headed to his side and gasped in shock at his pale face.

She headed to where Suzee sat and threw her arms around her Guide. Suzee looked down at Cat, unable to hug her because of her paralysis. Rosie took Harlan aside and fished something out of her pocket.

"The watchman reported movement in this area last night. He headed down here in time to see someone stab Radu and run off into the night. The watchman chased him, but the intruder vanished. He dropped this."

Rosie held out another silver pen.

"Another pen?" Harlan asked.

"It's not a pen," Rosie explained. "It's a needle. We've analyzed the contents and it contains a strain of the disease the Guiders are fighting. The plague was caused by someone stabbing Guiders with this needle."

"But who?" Harlan said. "Radu said something about an Elder being responsible, but I don't know which box the first pen came from."

"But Radu knows," Rosie said. "I think that's why he was their next target. They infected him with the disease, which mutated his cold. It makes sense now!"

"So, how do we save Radu and Suzee, and get this crazy Elder guy?"

Rosie shook her head. "I have no idea."

**********

Bova watched the Healer inject the serum into the volunteers arm. He had formulated the chemical reaction to be almost instantaneous, curing the patient seconds after the cure was injected. Patiently, Bova waited with Martin and Timm standing close by. The patient was unconscious, having volunteered for this experiment days ago. In a few minutes, the patient's eyes opened.

"Life signs returning to normal," the Healer reported. "The disease is being destroyed."

Martin and Timm cheered. Bova shrugged and kept watching the readings.

"He appears to be completely cured," the Healer said. "Amazing."

"Watch for side effects," Bova cautioned, putting a damper on the cheers.

As the Healer continued to monitor the volunteer's conditions, a messenger ran into the building, holding a piece of paper. He headed to Bova and handed it to him before leaving again. Curious, Bova opened the sealed paper and read the note inside. He stared at the message long and hard, reading and rereading it again until he finally excused himself from the experiment and headed to the Healing Center.

**********

Trapped in a world of dreams, Radu struggled to make heads or tales of his situation. He knew he was unconscious, but his mind remained alert in this small, alternate world he had created for himself. There was no landscape to be seen, and Radu thought back to the other times his mind had sought refuge here; twice during the second war, once during the field mission on the isolated moon. Now, here he was again. 

He could hear the machines around him, Rosie's worried voice, and the reassurances Harlan provided although he doubted his own words. He needed to reach them and show them the face of the man who had plagued the Guiders. He needed to regain control of his senses, fight the disease that coursed through his own veins, but he had no idea how.

He could try telepathy — Elmira had contacted him often enough. How could she have reached him across the infinite vastness of space if he didn't have a hint of talent on his own? He didn't know how to reach the minds of his friends; he was untrained with no teacher to guide him this time. With a mental shrug, he decided to attempt it anyway.

**********

Suzee sat in her bed, watching her friends around Radu, wishing she could rise and go to them to offer her support. She couldn't even breath on her own at this point, her muscles so paralyzed that her heart had to be pumped for her as well as her lungs. 

Bova had joined them, and that had helped Rosie cope a bit more while Cat remained almost constantly in Harlan's arms. Suzee felt a twinge of jealousy at her best friend's happiness, knowing that she could have had Harlan, but had mentally already chosen someone else.

_Suzee_, a voice called in her mind.

Blinking in surprise, Suzee concentrated with her inner voice on the presence that was brushing against her thoughts.

_Suzee_, the voice said again.

Her eye widened in recognition. It couldn't be, she thought. Not possible. 

"Uh, Rosie?" Suzee called. 

The Mercurian came over, her usually cheerful face a mask of concern. 

"Is it possible for someone to be in a coma, but still know what was going on?" Suzee asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

"Yes," Rosie replied.

"I think that Radu is inside my head," Suzee whispered so quietly that Rosie had to lean forward to hear.

The Mercurian withdrew her head from Suzee's face. "Oh."

"Yeah, and he know that there's nothing I can do to help him," Suzee said loudly, so Radu could hear.

_Please_, the voice begged. _So hard . . .._

Suzee's face contorted as she mentally fought over the consequences. Do it and she may save all the victims as well as future ones, but will be banished from her home. Don't do it and she may die as well as her friend.

_Please_.

"Grozit," Suzee muttered. "Do I have a choice? Rosie, I'll need to be wheeled over to Radu's bed and get a curtain or something so no one will see."

Rosie nodded, quickly whispered to the others and they all set to work.

**********

Radu waited patiently in his own mental sanctuary, pacing despite himself as he recovered from the strain of contacting Suzee. He knew that she would come, she had protested too much not to now. He could faintly sense them preparing her and him and he knew he didn't have much longer to wait.

She appeared in his empty landscape, looked around and walked towards him. They were both seen by the other in their normal forms; healthy and dressed in Starcademy uniforms.

"Nice place you got here," Suzee said. "I've been in your mind before, but this is the first time I've seen this place."

"My sanctuary," Radu replied. 

Suzee looked around again, nodding in approval. "Could use some colour."

Radu took a step forward and smiled. "At least we look better here than in the real world," he commented.

"Okay, we should keep this as short as possible, even though it is nice to see you on your feet again," Suzee said.

"Likewise," Radu answered. "I know the name and face of the man who's been infecting the people. The pen I found came out of his box, and the pen Rosie found came from him when he dropped it after stabbing me."

He pointed behind him and the face appeared, as if by magic. Suzee gasped in surprise.

"Cyril?" she said. "I never thought he would stoop this low!"

"That's the man. I saw him twice, when he ran from you and when he stabbed me. There shouldn't be any stronger evidence than that," Radu said.

"But to accuse an Elder and be wrong is punishable by death," Suzee said. "I think you need more proof than a memory and two pens."

Radu opened his mouth to comment when Suzee decided it was time to go.

"Listen, when you wake up, we'll talk again. Don't worry about this now. Bova's got a cure and he's going to try it on you. You should be up and about by tomorrow. I have to go."

With that, Suzee disappeared, leaving Radu alone in his sanctuary again.

**********

Suzee returned to herself just as a Senior Healer entered their curtained area. He was here to check on both Radu and Suzee at Clara's insistence. He looked at Suzee oddly as she sat beside Radu's bed and was about to comment on it when she returned.

"Thanks, Rosie," Suzee said. "I'm glad you let me visit Radu. It's hard to see him from across the hall, but not reassure him with my presence."

To emphasize her point, she patted Radu's hand comfortingly.

"No problem, Suzee," Harlan said, as Rosie stood in shock. "We can even do it again tomorrow."

He wheeled her back to her bed and gently put her in. The Senior Healer shrugged before ushering everyone from the curtain and performing some tests on Radu.

"Well?" Harlan asked.

"He's fine, mentally," Suzee said. "I know who poisoned both me and him. It was Cyril Torman, an Elder. I just don't know how to prove it."

"We'll have Radu's testimony," Rosie said. "Right, Bova?"

"If the cure works," Bova said.

"Which it will," the Mercurian assured him. "And we have both pens as evidence, plus the watchman's story."

"And the security film from the cameras," Suzee said, gesturing with her chin to the camera to the left of her bed.

"So, we have a case?" Catalina asked.

_Of course,_ Radu said in Suzee's mind. _Thank you_.

**********

Radu groaned and opened his eyes. His head felt thick and musty, his eyes watered, and his throat was dry. He tried to move his head to avoid staring at the bright lights above him, but found that movement only made him nauseous. Blinking, he tried to make out what was going on.

He heard people running up and down the hallway, trying not to disturb the patients, but in a rush nonetheless. They spoke in hushed tones, muttering about a trial and outsiders who wanted to destroy everything they've worked for. The face of a Healer he didn't know came into view and shined a bright light in his eyes.

"Responses normal," he said, "I think."

Radu pushed away the hand that held the light and the Healer stumbled backwards as if struck. Realized belatedly that he had not controlled his strength, Radu tried to mutter an apology, but found that the Healer had already fled. He closed his eyes again.

Someone was pouring something down his throat and he coughed and opened his eyes again. He saw Suzee's mother, Clara.

"How are you?" she asked quietly.

He found that his head no longer hurt as much as it did before and he automatically filtered out the unnecessary noise.

"I feel terrible," Radu admitted, "but at least I'm alive."

Clara smiled. "I don't know much about your — species. Rosie mentioned something about an internal atmosphere and I should monitor your barometric pressure."

"Where is Rosie?" Radu asked.

"She's at court with the others. They formally charged Cyril Torman with the infection of the Guiders. Today is the trial."

"Trial? How long was I asleep?"

"About a week or so," Clara said. "I don't know how they managed to figure out it was Cyril, but about three days ago, Rosie came to me with his name and asked to see the security film. Sure enough, there he was."

Radu smiled. The mystery was over. 

**********

Harlan, Catalina, Rosie, Radu, and Bova stood in front of the communications terminal in Suzee's house. Suzee, Clara, Tomas, and Cassi all stood around them.

"Well, we solved your mystery for you," Rosie said.

"And got out of a month of classes," Harlan added.

"I just don't understand why Cyril would want to destroy the Guiders," Tomas said.

"Simple," Suzee said. "He thought that they were the reason that Reachers were being produces. The unnatural ability to contact someone across the dimensional grid was too alien a concept for him, so he tried to exterminate us."

"Very bad man," Cassi said somberly.

Catalina knelt to hug the girl, still in the white of a child. 

"I meant to ask you, Cassi," Cat said. "When is your Ceremony?"

"Next year," Cassi replied.. "I want to be a Guider like Suzee or a Healer like Mommy."

"What about a Scientist?" Tomas asked.

Cassi made a face. "Boring!" she announced.

Cat and Suzee laughed. 

"See you in the Starcademy," Suzee said.

"Yeah, but not us," Harlan said sadly.

Suzee walked over to where Harlan stood and gave him a hug. 

"If you ever want to talk to me," she said, "Bova knows how."

She hugged the little Uranusian as well.

"Thanks for saving me," she said, kissing his cheek.

Sparks flew between Bova's antennae and Rosie's temperature rose a few degrees. Suzee headed to Radu and kissed him on the mouth. The others watched in shock. Cat smiled, Rosie's temperature rose again, and Harlan looked distinctly jealous.

"See you soon," she said.

The dimensional portal opened and each of the space cases stepped inside. Catalina lingered as long as possible, relishing the moments she could finally spend with Suzee in person. Finally, Suzee had to push her through the portal before it closed. She waved good bye as it closed, a tear falling from her eye.


	7. Vengeance

VENGEANCE

The day dragged on longer than usual. Free days often passed in what seemed like minutes, every second being occupied by some fun thing that had been denied to the students during the previous week. However, this free day had not been expected. The professors of the Starcademy had canceled classes for a meeting, leaving all the cadets to fend for themselves. The space cases had met by their usual tree, content to spend the day lazing about the biosphere. 

Harlan lay on his stomach, twirling a blade of grass between two fingers. Radu, on his back, watched the clouds roll by and sighed. Clito strummed her harp, Matt tossed a ball into the air and caught it, while Catalina watched the ball go up and down with her eyes. Bova slept, as usual, and Rosie was no where to be seen. 

"Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored," Harlan said.

"You should be thankful for days like today," Radu commented.

"Why's that?"

Radu sat up. "Think about it. So far, we've been back for about two years and already we've faced the Spung in a war, gone to Andromeda and become outcasts, gone to Uranus to stop a wedding, broken up numerous fights between Bova and Matt, gone to an isolated planet and barely escaped with our lives, and gone to Yensid to stop a mysterious disease."

Harlan smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Radu lay back down and Harlan sighed again.

"But I'm still bored," he added.

A ball went flying through the air and struck Harlan in the side of the face. He turned sharply to see Catalina grinning at him. 

"It's weird how strange things always seem to happen to us," Cat commented. "It's almost as if we're in a holo show or something and stuff has to keep happening to us to keep the audience interested."

Harlan laughed. "Sure, Cat; and I was a Power Ranger in a past life."

Radu seemed confused. "What's a - "

"Never mind," Harlan said quickly.

Suddenly, Bova sat up. His eyes were wide and a strange, dreamy smile was on his face.

"It's lunch time," he said.

As if on cue, the bell rang for the students to proceed to the lunch room. As the space cases walked down the hall, Harlan whispered to Radu.

"It's eerie the way he can do that."

Radu nodded in agreement.

**********

That night, the Starcademy was unusually quiet. Everyone had been ordered to go straight to their bunkrooms after dinner with a lights-out in effect ten minutes after arrival. Curious about the sudden secrecy, several of the cadets tried to ask their teachers why the sudden enforcement of rules. All the professors had been tight lipped in giving answers.

Seated on Harlan's upper bunk, Radu and Harlan watched their fellow cadets march to their respective beds with military precision. 

"So, what's going on?" Harlan asked Radu.

The Andromedan looked shocked for a second.

"C'mon," Harlan prodded. "I know you could hear everything the teachers said in that meeting with those ears of yours. What's going on?"

"Don't tell anyone else," Radu said.

Harlan promised.

"The UPP is on alert," Radu told him. "It seems that there have been reports of Spung vessels in the area and the UPP wants everyone ready for a red alert if needed. I guess that means we're going to be training for another possible war instead of regular classes."

Harlan's eyes lit up. "Really? Great! But who's leading the Spung after you killed Warlord Shank?"

Radu shook his head. "I don't know."

**********

Catalina couldn't sleep. She could hear Rosie above her and Clito on the next bunk safely dreaming, but those dreams wouldn't come as easily to her. She was worried about the sudden cancellations of classes for the next few weeks and the equally sudden schedule of rigorous training exercises - as if another war was expected soon.

A thump from outside the girl's dormitory made her completely forget about sleep. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and into her uniform. The thump sounded again; a little bit farther away than before. Catalina crept outside the bunkroom to see what was making the noise.

She saw two Spung. Swallowing a gasp of fear, she hid in a dark corner until they had passed. As they rounded a corner, she saw that they were dragging something behind them. Curiousity getting the better of her, she followed. As she got closer, she saw that it wasn't a something that was being dragged, but a someone! Fearing for the life of the hapless Starcademy cadet that was being abducted, Catalina steeled her nerves and followed the two Spung into their waiting ship.

It took her several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the ship and she rested her hand against the wall. To her surprise, it felt venous and strangely familiar. She heard Spung coming a ducked into an open hole in the wall.

**********

Catalina fell out of the hole in a different section of the ship, one that was more familiar to her than any other room anywhere. She was in her old bunkroom - on the Christa! She recognized everything now, even the jump tube she had just slid down. Excitement soon gave way to fear. What were Spung doing on the Christa? What was the Christa doing back at Starcademy? 

With a quick look around, Catalina risked calling the one person she knew could answer her questions.

"Thelma!" she whispered.

The android appeared beside her in a split second. 

"Catalina!" Thelma gasped. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be trapped on Yensid with Suzee's family?"

"Thelma, what's going on?" Cat asked. "Why are there Spung on the Christa?"

"That is a sad story," Thelma said. "I don't think you would want to hear it."

"Thelma," Cat tried again. "We're at Starcademy. The Spung kidnapped someone from the Academy and brought them here. I snuck on board to try and rescue them, but I think the ship took off."

"Yes," Thelma agreed. "We are currently traveling at faster than light speeds. Unfortunately, Warlord Shett has taken direct control of the Christa so even she can't stop him."

"Taken control?" Cat gasped. "How?"

"Maybe I can help answer some questions," a new voice said.

**********

Radu woke up with a headache. He tried to rub the growing bump on his forehead, but found that his hands were bound tightly behind him. Struggling, he managed to raise himself into a sitting position and could survey his situation.

Besides being bound hand and foot and having a growing headache, Radu saw that he was in a very familiar room. Directly ahead of him was a round, rainbow table and on the wall to his left was a Food Wheel. Shaking his head, he tried to dismiss his conclusion as impossible, but no matter how he looked at it, he knew he was on the Christa again.

Motion at the door made him raise his eyes to see his captors. Two rows of five Spung each marched into the room, lining the doorway like portable walls. From between those two rows came another Spung, dressed in the armour of a Warlord. Radu could hear the hum of the blaster he carried and knew he was in for a shock - in more than one way.

"Well, well, well," the new Warlord said. "Here we have the murderer."

Radu pressed himself against the wall as the blaster stopped inches away from his nose.

"This Andromedan - " he spat the name like a curse, " - destroyed my father and reduced the Spung Empire to half its former glory. Now I, Warlord Shett, Imperial son of Shank, will avenge my father and restore the Empire to its rightful size."

The Spung that formed the two rows cheered and Radu closed his eyes tightly, anticipating the worst. When no pain came, he opened his eyes to see Warlord Shett smiling at him.

"No, puny Andromedan," Shett said. "Your death will not be this painless. You will be taken to our city and brought before the High Council. There, the Emperor himself will determine your fate. As my dear sister predicted 'The Might will always be right'!"

Again, the Spung cheered as Shett aimed his blaster and fired.

**********

"Who are you?" Catalina asked.

The creature that stood before her was one that she had never seen before. The girl appeared to be her own age and had white skin, clear blue eyes, and pointed, upswept ears. She wore her long, pink hair in a high pony tail that drifted down past her waist. She wore a black and white checkered cloak around her shoulders that nearly engulfed her. Catalina could see that it held many pockets in it as well. Her two well formed legs were covered in tight black pants and high boots.

"My name is Gyana," she said. "I was a member of the Christa's crew. My other crewmates were killed, but I was spared because of what I am."

"What are you?" 

"I am a Guardian," Gyana explained. "My species roams the universe and protects it from itself. Without us, nothing would run smoothly. Planets would slip off their orbits, pirate would rule the space ways and entire galaxies would implode on themselves. We live in the darkness of space, safe from any species who would want to take advantage of us, like these Spung have done to me."

"How did the Spung get on the Christa?"  
"They disguised their ship as a trading vessel in distress and we were compelled to help them. Once they were on board, they quickly took over. My friend were killed and I was trapped on the ship, unable to return to space."

Catalina blinked at the story. She knew the Spung were double crossers, but this had gone too far. 

"I told you you would not want to hear the story," Thelma said. "You didn't listen."

"Don't worry, Catalina," Gyana said. "We will set the Christa free again."

"How did you know - ?"

"Your name?" Gyana smiled. "I studied all the old logs from your adventures on the Christa. I know all about you, and the other members of your crew. Thelma has also been quite helpful with details."

Cat smiled back. "Well, there's a Starcademy cadet somewhere on this ship and I have to bring him back. That should be our first priority. We'll worry about Warlord Shett later."

"Oh, I think you should worry about him now," Thelma said. 

"Why's that?"

"Because he's heading this way!"

Gyana grabbed Catalina's arm and they both vanished. Warlord Shett walked into the bunkroom to find Thelma standing there alone.

"Android," Shett ordered. "Feed the prisoner and get back to the command post. We need you to direct the ship when we attack."

"Yes, sir," Thelma said enthusiastically. "Right away. Where is the prisoner?"

"In the galley," Shett said impatiently.

Thelma nodded and the angry Spung warlord stalked away. Catalina and Gyana reappeared seconds later.

"You must be a telemorph!" Catalina said, remembering Harlan and Radu's stories about Ubi and the Space Pirate, Reaver.

"I suppose. Teleporting short distances is something all Guardians do," Gyana said with a shrug. "Let's get your friend and get out of here."

Taking Thelma's arm with her other hand, the trio vanished again.

**********

Catalina fumbled in the darkness of the galley. She could sense Gyana beside her and wondered whether or not Guardians could see in the dark. Thelma had been with them a second ago, but she now found that she could hear the android walking around, humming absently to herself. A second later, the lights flared on and Catalina blinked as her eyes readjusted. 

"There is your friend," Gyana said, pointing to the ground.

Catalina gasped when she saw the crumpled form on the ground. She rushed towards him and almost cried out when she realized who it was.

"Radu!" she exclaimed, fighting back tears.

The Andromedan was unconscious, but alive. Burn marks on his uniform indicated that he had taken a blaster shot to the stomach. Gyana checked his vitals.

"He is alive. Thankfully, the blaster was set on stun."

"Someone is coming," Thelma reported from the doorway.

Gyana and Catalina both sprang to their feet. Before the Saturnian could say a word, Gyana pushed her into the jump tubes and stood in front of the control panel to hide the glowing buttons. Several Spung marched into the room.

"We have located the Guardian, Warlord Shett," the obvious leader announced, pointing his blaster at Gyana.

"Excellent," Shett's voice came over the comm. system. "Bring her to me and this time, remember to keep the collar on her at all times."

Two Spung guards seized Gyana's wrists as the leader attached a heavy, metallic collar around her neck.

"Come," the leader ordered, yanking the chain. "No more disappearing tricks for you."

**********

From the team room, Catalina turned off the screen. She had observed the entire thing and now felt totally alone. She walked around the familiar room where she had once felt safe and at home. She touched the Minbar chess board and remembered Harlan's bragging as he beat her game after game. Memories of their adventures flooded her senses and the moments she had found comforting while on Yensid or at the Starcademy became alien and cold. Shivering, she knew what she had to do. 

Without activating the jump tubes, Catalina crawled back to the galley to wake up Radu.

**********

Catalina stuck her head out of the jump tube and immediately ducked back in. She was in the command post, not the galley. Silently, she peeked over the edge of the tube.

Warlord Shett stood in front of the helm, controlling the ship through a strange metal box. Gyana stood next to him, a metal collar around her neck, and was guarded on both sides. Ten other Spung wandered around the Compost, absently pushing buttons or simply standing still. The view screen was on and a picture of Earth appeared. Catalina could see the UPP patrol ships and two of the five orbiting space stations around the planet. Curiousity getting the better of her, she listened to the Spung's plans.

"The UPP will not respond to our hails," a Spung reported.

Shett hissed. Cat could not tell if it was a laugh or a growl of disappointment. The Spung Warlord pulled on the chain and Gyana stumbled towards him.

"Guardian, clear our path," Shett ordered.

"No," Gyana replied.

Shett leveled a blaster at her.

"Move the ships," he demanded again.

"No," Gyana repeated.

"If you do not do what you are told, you will no longer be needed," Shett warned.

Gyana remained silent and turned her head away from the Spung Warlord.

Shett casually fired and the Guardian crumpled to the ground. Catalina bit the back of her hand to keep from screaming aloud.

"Throw her in the garbage tube," Shett ordered.

The two guards that had been guarding her picked up the limp form and began walking towards the jump tubes. The pushed a random code and dropped her in. 

Gyana's body hit Catalina and the two of them went spiraling down the tubes. It took a few minutes for them to reach whatever destination the Spung had programmed before the tubes spat them out. Catalina was pleased to find that they had landed back in the galley. Thelma stood where they had left her, holding a plate of food for Radu.

"There you are," Thelma exclaimed. "I was beginning to think you had left."

Catalina shoved Gyana's body off of her.

"Where would we go, Thelma? We're in space and far from the Starcademy or friends or help," the Saturnian cried.

Thelma put a comforting arm on Cat's shoulders as she cried. 

"Gyana could get help," Thelma said.

"She's dead," Cat sobbed. "She's not breathing."

"I do not think she is dead," Thelma insisted.

"How can you be sure?"

"She's moving."

Sure enough, Gyana had risen shakily to her feet and was massaging her head. Catalina smiled and hugged her friend, nearly knocking her over.

"Nice to see you, too," Gyana said, "but will you give me a second to clear my head?"

"How did you do that?" Cat asked.

"What?"

"Hold you breath for that long?"

"Hold my what?" Gyana laughed. "Catalina, how can I live in space if I need to breathe?"

Cat was shocked. "You don't breathe."

Gyana shook her head. "No, but I can get help if you will get this collar off of me. I will glide over to the UPP patrol ship, tell them the Spung's intentions - "  
"And get the Christa blown out of the sky," Cat finished. She pulled out the last wire and the collar was off. "New plan."

"They will not fire if you are still on board," Gyana said.

"I think the UPP will sacrifice the lives of two cadets for the safety of the entire United Populated Planets," Cat objected.

"So, how do we get the Spung off the Christa without the Christa getting blown up?" Gyana asked.

"I have an idea," a voice said weakly from the floor.

**********

The Spung combed the length and breadth of the ship, trying to find the escaped Guardian and Andromedan. Warlord Shett's constant cries for the android had also failed and the screens in the command post had mysteriously died. Blinded, the Spung searched the old fashioned way.

Radu's plan was working like a charm. He remembered Elmira telling him once about the warrior's superstition and how they took omens and psychic readings very seriously. Using their beliefs against them, he had concocted a plan to send them running for their lives - straight into the waiting arms of the UPP.

**********

Two Spung guards prowled the hallways alone. Each of them held a blaster in their hands, and despite the legendary courage of the Spung, they both trembled. A few seconds ago, they had found the armour of one of their crew, lying empty on the ground. They had taken that as a sign that evil was approaching. 

They rounded a corner and saw the Guardian and another girl standing in the corridor. Both had smug looks on their faces, which the Spung ignored. They raised their blasters to fire, each picking a target when the rainbow headed alien child screamed.

The sound rattled through their helmets and caused the blasters to misfire, each striking his companion. The two Spung fell down dead. 

As Catalina screamed, two more Spung had taken position on the other end of the hall. Before Catalina could turn and deliver her sonic blast, two bolts had already been fired. Gyana waved her arms, gesturing towards the wall and the two bolts slowly turned and struck the wall just a meter away from where the two girls stood.

"Air waves are always harder to manipulate than space waves," Gyana grunted as Catalina screamed again. 

The two Spung fell and the girls jumped down the jump tubes.

**********

"I thought they were supposed to be scared into fleeing the ship," Catalina remarked when they met up with Radu again. "We end up killing them before they get scared."

Radu shrugged. "Not every plan is perfect," he said. 

The Andromedan limped slightly because of the shot at point blank range and he seemed to be hunched over. He led the way down the hall. Gyana slowed Catalina down to talk with her privately.

"He is the same Radu from the logs, correct?" Gyana asked.

"Yes," Catalina replied.

"He seems so much - colder now. During his time on the Christa, he seemed shy and harmless. Have circumstances since his departure from the ship changed him?"

Catalina nodded. "Circumstances since leaving the Christa have changed us all - especially him."

**********

Warlord Shett fumed as he paced around the Command Post. The ship would no longer respond to him and his men had all mysteriously vanished since the Guardian had been thrown down the garbage shoot. To make matters worse, the Andromedan had somehow disappeared as well.

Shett turned on his heels and walked to the helm. Since the ship's own controls had not responded to him, he had installed a box that forced the ship to act. Now, he pounded the controls with one of his three long fingers, forcing the Christa to jerk around.

"All remaining hands return to the helm," he ordered over the comm. system. 

Smiling to himself, he sat back and waited for the sounds of his warriors. They would destroy Earth, but not right away. First, they needed to return to the homeworld with two important packages.

**********

"We are moving again," Gyana reported from where the trio hid in the cargo hold. 

For the first time since she had known him, Catalina heard Radu swear. It caught her by surprise and she could only stare at her friend in shock. He stood and began to pace back and forth, his attention fixed elsewhere in the ship.

"Where's Thelma?" Cat asked.

"I believe she had returned to the command post. Warlord Shett has need of her, and she cannot go against her programming," Gyana replied.

"We're in trouble," Radu said, abruptly turning to face the girls. "I heard Shett talking. We're heading back to the Spung homeworld. Shett isn't risking the Christa yet. He's waiting until he has enough forces behind him to pose a suitable threat."

"Then why did he challenge the UPP already?" Catalina asked.

"He's testing us," Radu replied, still pacing. "He want to see how committed the UPP will become. That way he'll be able to gauge his own troops to outnumber ours."

Catalina pondered that fact and reviewed their plan. Since the Spung were still on board, it would be useless to try and take control. Shett rarely left the command post and now, everyone would be searching for them.

"What now?" Gyana asked.

"You two have to get out of here," Radu decided. "They still don't know about Cat being on board, and you're too much of a potential weapon to let the Spung keep you."

"The Spung cannot break my will," Gyana said. 

"They have ways."

Catalina shuddered, remembering the Luff mind wiping techniques they had used in the previous war. It seemed that when it came to conquest, the Spung would stoop to anything.

"So now what?" Cat repeated.

Radu slumped down the wall, resting his head in his hands.

"I don't know," he whispered.

**********

Catalina woke up with a start. She shook her head to clear the last few traces of fog and looked around the room. Suddenly, all the memories of the previous day's adventure came flooding back. She was on the Christa. The Christa was infested with Spung. Radu was going crazy.

She stopped her thoughts at that moment. Radu going crazy? When had that happened? She remembered him changing slowly from the caring, innocent Starcademy cadet to an angry, blood thirsty Andromedan fighting his deadliest enemy. She didn't blame him for his actions, but he was beginning to frighten her.

"We are at the Spung homeworld," Gyana reported. "Screen on."

The Christa was surrounded by the large, green floating cities that made up the Spung homeworld. Since the Spung had long ago destroyed their own planet, they had taken to living in scattered cities around their Empire, hovering within the orbit of the conquered worlds as a reminder to the enslaved people. One section of space, in the heart of the Empire, was the largest cluster of floating cities. It was to these green monsters that the Spung homeworld was referred.

The ship moved quickly to the largest of the cities and began to dock. Radu stared at the scene outside with a peculiar mixture of anger, fear, and curiousity on his face. Catalina came up from behind him and put her arm around his shoulder to comfort him. She could feel his muscles tense as the source of his entire race's persecution loomed before him.

He pulled his eyes away from the screen to listen to some far away conversation. Seconds later, he turned to his two companions. Catalina noticed that he still held his abdomen in one hand where he had been shot.

"They're scouring the ship looking for us," Radu said. "Cat, you have to hide. Once they find me and Gyana, they'll stop looking."

"And where will that leave us?" Cat demanded. "I'll be hiding on the ship that will destroy the UPP and you'll be Spung food."

"Perhaps if I were to transport Catalina to the surface, she could somehow contact help," Gyana suggested.

"What surface?" Radu asked. "The Imperial City? She'll be killed instantly!"

Gyana bit her lip thoughtfully. "There is one other way that I know of, but it is extremely dangerous."

The two Starcademy cadets looked at her.

"I could give Catalina my cloak and she would be invisible as long as she is wearing it. I, however, will steadily weaken without the cloak until I return to open space," Gyana said.

"We can't do that," Catalina protested. "She'll die without this cloak."

"It's our only alternative," Radu said. "With the cloak, Gyana can take you to the surface and you'll be safe until you rescue us. Then, we'll steal a ship and get back to the Starcademy to warn them about the Spung attack."

"Good plan," Catalina said dryly. "How do I rescue you?"

Radu smiled at her wryly. "I have the utmost faith that you'll come up with an excellent plan."

Before Catalina could retort, Gyana had firmly taken her wrist and they had both disappeared.

**********

The Imperial City was dark and creepy. The walls of the rigid buildings were all a solid green colour, free of any outside ornaments or plant life. The citizens marched with military precision along the sides of the road, neither speaking or looking at anyone they passed. Business was conducted quickly and efficiently with little or no small talk. Catalina found the entire place depressing.

Gyana had dropped her off in a small alley between two of the imposing buildings and had wrapped the cloak tightly around her shoulders. Catalina had held back her tears and the Guardian returned to the Christa to become a captive of the Spung once again while she had her freedom. She thought of Radu's trusting face as they had disappeared and knew that she could not fail.

Everything around her was Spung. She could not read the signs or understand the guttural language they spoke. Cautiously, she stepped out of the alley and prayed desperately that the invisibility of the cloak worked. When she realized that the Spung paid absolutely no attention to her, she sighed with relief and headed to the tallest building in the city - the Imperial Palace.

**********

The guards who stood outside the open doors didn't see Catalina as she slid between them without making a sound. Clutching the cloak tighter, she tiptoed through the long hallways. She assumed that the main throne room would be easy to find, but quickly became lost in the maze of corridors. Biting back a curse, she sat down on the ground to gather her bearings.

A noise from one of the corridors made her start. She heard someone yelling in a poorly accented language that she understood. It was not the Basic language they spoke at Starcademy, but another language which she had taken in class - Andromedan.

Quietly, Catalina slipped down the hall towards the sound. She soon saw a young Andromedan slave being yelled at by a much larger Spung guard. The small Andromedan looked only to be about nine or ten years old, but Catalina knew that he was much younger. Radu was only fourteen years old himself yet appeared to be about twenty by Earth standards. As the Spung marched off, still muttering, the Andromedan began to clean up what he had dropped.

"Hello," Catalina said in Andromedan.

Startled, the Andromedan dropped the plate again and whirled around. Catalina realized that he couldn't see her and she removed the cloak. As the slave's eyes grew wide with fear, Catalina clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Friend," she told him. "No hurt you, no scare you."

The slave nodded, obviously understanding her broken Andromedan. As she removed her hand, he began speaking rapidly to her. She found it too hard to follow.

"Slow," Cat said. "I no understand fast."

"Who are you?" the slave asked.

"Friend," Catalina repeated. "Catalina."

"I am Derik 893," the slave told her. "Can you save me?"

Catalina nodded. "Come under my cloak and you will be - " she stumbled over the word 'invisible' " - safe."

Derik smiled and put the plate down in the hallway. He was small and fit easily between Catalina and the cloak. Once he was safely wrapped up, they tried to move. With two bodies, it was much more difficult to maneuver. 

"Can you tell me where the throne room is?" Cat asked.

Derik paled. "No go there. Bad room."

Catalina nodded. "Friends in danger. I must."

Derik slowly moved out from the protection of the cloak and nodded bravely. "I show," he said. 

In plain view, the young slave marched down the hallway with the invisible guest not far behind. Catalina was impressed by his courage and promised herself that he would not be left behind when they fled.

**********

Shackled, beaten, and stripped to the waist, Radu was thrown into a tiny box. The barred door was closed behind him and he could only stare at the retreating ship. He was doubled over with his hands behind his back and his knees banging his chin as the cage swayed. Gyana walked behind him, in view from his cell. She seemed paler than before and walked with sagging shoulders. The collar that kept her from teleporting into space was firmly attached around her neck and her hands were bound behind her. She was led with a length of rope from her collar like a dog and Radu felt himself growing angry just thinking about it. 

Several minutes passed as Radu was carried through the Imperial Palace of the Emperor. Gyana kept walking, seeming weaker by the minute and Radu wondered what was to become of her. Finally, the procession stopped and the cage was dropped with a thud to the tiled floor.

"The prisoner shall be brought forward," a voice commanded in the guttural Spung language.

Radu's cage was opened and he was yanked roughly into the light. He blinked and glanced around the room at the angry faces. Finally, his eyes came to rest on the Emperor himself and, sitting on a dais below him, the Sirrola of the Empire. Elmira tried her best to control herself as she saw Radu being dragged before her uncle's throne. She kept her eyes downcast, but sent waves of love to the prisoner to try and make him more comfortable.

The herald by the door banged his staff on the ground three times to gather the attention of everyone in the room.

"Announcing Warlord Shett, Commander of the Spung Army, Heir Apparent to the Throne, and beloved nephew of our ruler, Emperor Biket IV, Imperial Ruler of the Spung Empire."

As his titles were being announced, Warlord Shett waltzed into the room, bowed to the Emperor and took his seat on a dais below his uncle, but higher than Elmira's.

The herald made his way from the doorway to the edge of the throne, where he unrolled a scroll to read the list of crimes against the prisoner.

"The prisoner is accused of kidnapping Sirrola Elmira, and killing her beloved father, Warlord Shank, brother of our ruler, Emperor Biket IV, Imperial Ruler of the Spung Empire. How does the throne find the prisoner?" the herald announced.

"Guilty," Biket said. "Sentence is immediate death."

Two guards grabbed Radu's arms and dragged him out of the room. Gyana and Elmira could only watch in alarm as he left.

"Next prisoner," the herald said, "the Guardian found aboard the alien vessel."

Gyana was pushed forward and collapsed at the Emperor's feet. Defiantly, she raised her head and stared unblinking into Biket's eyes. The Emperor watched the girl intently for several seconds before shaking himself free.

"The Guardian is sentenced to lifetime slavery. I present her as a gift to my niece, Sirrola Elmira, in honour of our victory," Biket IV declared.

Gyana smiled faintly and slumped forward. Two guards roughly picked her up and carried her to Elmira's rooms. The Sirrola nodded to her uncle in thanks and lowered her eyes again.

"Warlord Shett," Biket said, "take whatever forces you need to destroy the UPP. I demand ultimate victory or honourable death."

"Yes, Majesty," Shett said, bowing. "I will mobilize our forces immediately."

"Good," Biket said. "Now, everyone go away. It's time to eat."

**********

Emperor Biket ate like a pig. Elmira watched in disgust as the most powerful Spung in the universe stuffed his mouth full of the delicacies of their newest conquest. The people had been terrified of their new masters and had relinquished all their food supplies, leaving a terrible famine behind as the Emperor casually took one bite and threw the rest away. As soon as she was able, Elmira excused herself and fled to her room.

The Guardian that had become her newest slave lay on the floor. She appeared to have been carelessly tossed there, with the metal collar still around her neck. She appeared lifeless and Elmira worried that she was dead. The Sirrola knelt beside her, checking for signs of life. Almost immediately, the slave came awake.

"Hush," Elmira soothed. "I am a friend."

The Guardian nodded, the gesture so small Elmira hardly noticed it. 

"Are you ill?" the Spung asked.

With a wan smile, the Guardian spoke. "No," she said faintly, "I am not ill, just weak. I am Gyana."

"I know," Elmira said. "I have seen this far into my own future. What puzzles me is how you convinced my uncle not to kill you and why you are in the company of Radu."

"Your uncle lacks will," Gyana explained. "I manipulated his brain waves to trick him into giving me to you. That is why I have lost what remaining energy I had. I need to return to open space and restore myself, but I must wait."

"Why wait?" Elmira asked. "I can get a ship, fly us out of the city and release you."

"But then what will become of Radu, Catalina, and the Christa?"

Elmira became even more confused as Gyana muttered those last few words and slumped back into unconsciousness.

**********

Catalina finished muttering a few choice curses under her breath as Derik lead her away from the throne room. She had seen the entire ordeal from the safety of Gyana's cloak and the little Andromedan slave had hardly been noticed in all the commotion. 

It had taken her several precious minutes to convince Derik to lead her to where Radu was being held in preparation for his execution. His sentence had alarmed her and, satisfied that Gyana would be safe with Elmira, Cat had decided to go after Radu.

Derik stopped in front of two large metal doors. Catalina waited patiently for him to open the doors and keep going, but the small Andromedan stayed put.

"No further," Derik said, the fear evident in his voice. "Bad place."

"Friend need help," Catalina pleaded. "Must go in."

"No further," Derik repeated stubbornly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Catalina removed the cloak so her head was visible to the Andromedan. His little face remained resolved and Catalina sighed. She bent over and kissed Derik on the cheek.

"Thanks, Derik 893," she said. "I go alone."

Derik watched his friend cover her head, push open the doors, and venture into the unknown.

**********

All along the corridor were ancient swords and relics of past years. Catalina shuddered as she saw the huge pieces of metal, some still stained with the blood of the slain. There were shields of fallen Warlords, paintings of victories and words chipped into the stone. Cat assumed that the words were the names of fallen warriors, but she could not be sure. She did, however, pause for a second to examine the paintings.

She had never thought of the Spung as artists, yet the canvas on the wall leading to the dungeon was beautiful. The artist had captured every detail of this particular victory and had immortalized it. She saw the triumphant Spung standing over their fallen victims, holding up their flag and brandishing their swords. After a moment's scrutiny, Catalina saw that the enemy were Andromedan. She gasped and quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard her. With a grim smile, she realized what the Spung had done. They had altered the true events to make it a victory to the Empire. There was no evidence of the hatchery that they had taken, or signs grief on the captive Andromedan's faces. Only conquest.

With a sweep of Gyana's cloak, Catalina continued down the corridor to save her friend.

**********

The Spung jailers were anything but gentle. Still bound and battered, Radu found himself being thrown against a solid stone wall. He heard his shoulder crunch as he fell to the ground and blinked furiously to clear his vision. The laughter of the Spung was the worst part. The eternal enemy of his people had won. Gyana was a gone, Catalina missing, and the Christa was probably being flown to Earth at this very instant to destroy the UPP. Complete despair washed over him as the jailers hauled him to his feet and strapped him down to a metal bed.

"Earthers have proven useful," one hissed. "Spung would have never come up with so efficient a device."

Radu didn't resist as they raised his hands above his head and tied them tighter. They did the same with his legs until he found the only thing he could move was his neck. Grinning, the Spung brought out a glowing coal from a nearby fire pit. As his grin broke into a laugh, he pushed the coal down onto Radu's unprotected chest. 

Radu screamed.

**********

Catalina heard the scream and ran as fast as she could. She passed locked cages full of hopeless prisoners and implements of torture without a second glance. The cry sounded again and she ran faster, whirling around corners without regard to her own safety. In no time, she had found the room where the prisoner was being tortured.

Radu was in a sorry state. His head was slumped down onto his chest and his eyes were closed and tear stained. Two cruel looking Spung guards were poking him with a kind of metal object and Catalina could see the welts on his body. Inhaling deeply, Catalina released a sonic blast.

The two Spung were thrown backwards, their hands clamped over their sensitive ears. Catalina ran to Radu as they guards lay stunned and untied him. As he fell to the ground, she wrapped him in Gyana's cloak and waited. In a few seconds, the guards were back to their mean selves.

"The prisoner!" one gasped. "He's escaped!"

"Sound the alarm!" the other yelled. "Warlord Shett will tan our hides if he escapes!"

Crouched under the metal table, Catalina held Radu under the safety of the cloak. She watched the two Spung guards spin around in confusion before storming out of the chamber. The Saturnian then turned her attention to Radu.

His wounds didn't seem as serious as they had appeared when she had just entered. He was unconscious due to stress and dehydration rather than injury and the burns on his chest weren't severe. With a sigh of relief, Catalina began trying to revive him.

**********

Elmira paced around her room. Gyana was still asleep and her health was failing rapidly. Her skin paled and her eyes appeared sunken into her head. Elmira had removed the collar and moved the slave to her bed. As Gyana slept, she began to wish feverently that she knew what Radu's plan was. 

Gyana muttered in her sleep and Elmira went over to her side. The Guardian cracked open an eyelid and tried to sit up. Elmira held her back down with one hand.

"I must get back to the ship," Gyana whispered. "I think that is where the others will meet me."

"You're much too weak to travel," Elmira observed. "How will you move to the airlock from here?"

Gyana smiled weakly. "I do not need an airlock. Tell me, princess, does one of your walls back onto the nothingness of space?"

**********

Catalina dashed down the hallway, Radu stumbling along behind her. Gyana's cloak was barely big enough for the two of them, but it seemed to expand somehow to encompass them both. Catalina swerved to miss a small troop of Spung guards and found herself staring at the door again. Not wanting to risk being seen with so many Spung around, she waited for the door to open.

Radu seemed to have come almost to full awareness and was grateful for the stop.

"How do we get out?" he asked.

"Shhh!" Catalina said, motioning to the guards. "I don't know. I'm making this up as I go."

As if in answer to her prayers, the door creaked open and a tiny head peeked in. It was Derik, the Andromedan slave who had helped Catalina. He opened the door wider as the Spung turned to stare at him. When they saw the slave, a few laughed nervously and they all returned to business. Catalina and Radu snuck through the door.

Derik wandered to a deserted corridor and stopped. He turned to face empty air and waited patiently.

"You're there," he said in broken Basic. "I hear you."

Catalina's cloak dropped off to reveal herself and Radu. The young slave seemed shocked to see one of his own kind and began speaking rapidly in Andromedan. Radu replied with a calm voice that seemed to relax the slave slightly. Catalina observed this without understanding a word.

"I hate to break this up," she said finally, "but we have to get out of here before they mobilize the entire army."

Derik spoke again and Radu nodded in agreement.

"He says that the Emperor is fuming and he's about to seal off the space port. If we need to leave, the time is now."

"Can you take us to Sirrola Elmira?" Catalina asked.

Derik nodded and lead the way as the two Starcademy cadets hid themselves once more.

**********

Elmira was certain that beyond the wall to her room was the farthest edge of the floating city. There was only a thin layer of atmosphere separating her from nothing. Gyana smiled as she said this and closed her eyes. In a split second, the Guardian was gone. Elmira looked around her room in surprise. Finally understanding, she walked over to her computer screen.

"Outside view," she said.

The screen flashed and she saw Gyana lying in space. Her human legs had vanished and were replaced by a silver, fish like tail. She appeared to be a mermaid from old Earth stories, except the tail was more shark like than anything else. The form remained still for several seconds before Gyana stretched and swam about. Elmira watched happily, until the Guardian once again vanished. She reappeared back in Elmira's room.

"Thank you," she said.

The Guardian no longer appeared as listless as before. She was still pale and weak, but some energy had been replenished during that brief swim with the stars. There was a knock at Elmira's door.

The Sirrola went over and opened it. Outside, there was a young Andromedan slave. He bowed to Elmira and the Spung princess could see that his eyes were full of fear. Gyana walked up behind Elmira and put one hand gently on her shoulder.

"Let them in," the Guardian said.

Elmira glanced down the hall, wondering who the 'them' was. When she saw no one else, she allowed the Andromedan slave to enter. When the door was firmly closed, Gyana addressed the space behind the slave.

"I see your mission was successful," she remarked.

From thin air, Catalina's face appeared. She smiled and the rest of her appeared, along with Radu. Catalina handed a large checkered cloak to Gyana who gratefully put it on.

"Thank you," Gyana said. "I was almost at my limit."

"Thank you," Catalina told her. "We almost got caught."

"Radu," Elmira said, "Catalina. What is going on here?"

"Long story," Radu said with a tired smile. "We'll tell you on the way out of here."

**********

Guards were searching the Imperial City from top to bottom as Elmira, Gyana, Catalina, Radu, and Derik crept out of the Palace. The Starcademy cadets and the Guardian were dressed as slaves while Elmira hid her features under a large hood. They were hardly looked at twice as they passed the gates.

Elmira took the lead with Derik right beside her. The young slave had never been outside the palace and gawked at the strange sights to be seen. Self-inflated nobles who lived closest to the palace brushed by, not even noticing Elmira and her four 'slaves'. 

"How far is the space port?" Gyana asked.

"We're not going to the space port," Elmira replied. "I have a personal ship that will not be guarded. It's just down the next street."

As they rounded a corner, they stumbled upon a group of soldiers. The Spung warriors looked at the mismatched group and immediatly opened fire. Gyana tossed her cloak back over her shoulder and waved her hands in front of her body, as if she were conducting a complicated orchestra. The bolts from the blasters veered off course and Catalina let loose a piercing scream, destroying the blaster's circuitry. Seeing the uselessness of their weapons, the guards tossed them aside and attacked.

There were four guards and five escapees. The first two guards attacked the two Andromedans. Radu easily tossed his aside, slamming the Spung's head against the nearest building. Derik had more trouble as he unleashed his strength for the first time. 

The third guard went after Catalina, who stopped his efforts short with a series of karate moves that Harlan had taught her. The last guard grabbed Elmira without realizing who she was.

"Release me!" Elmira exclaimed.

"Silence, Sirrola," the Spung snapped. "Warlord Shett has issued a command for your arrest."

Derik had finished off his guard, not killing him but leaving him with enough broken bones to keep him from moving. He saw the warrior holding Elmira and became angry. His eyes flashed red and his hands clenched. Radu saw these early signs in the young Andromedan with fear.

"Derik!" he called as more guards came around the corner. "Don't give in to anger! You won't be able to control yourself!"

Derik paid no attention as he savagely attacked the Spung. Elmira broke free in alarm and retreated a few steps, watching with morbid fascination. The entire ordeal lasted only a minute and the Spung guard that had captured the Sirrola lay on the ground in pieces. With a strange, lustful look in his eyes, Derik searched for more prey. Radu shook his head sadly.

The back up forces took aim and fired at the prisoners. As one of the bolts hit the wall beside Radu's head, he knew it was time to go.

"Run for it!" he cried.

As they ran, another guard took aim. Derik looked over his shoulder in time to see the blaster bolt heading for Elmira's unprotected back. With a shout, he dove between the bolt and the Sirrola, taking the shot full force in the chest. He landed with a heavy thud. Radu scooped him up as they ran.

**********

Thanks to Gyana's expandable cloak, they lost the guards just outside Elmira's private space port. With a sigh of relief, they quickly went in and barred the door closed. Radu still cradled Derik in his arms and now, he lay the young slave down gently.

"Derik, why did you do that?" Elmira asked.

Derik spoke in rapid Andromedan, his voice growing weaker with every word. Tears streaming down his face, Radu translated.

"He was . . . going to kill . . . you," Radu repeated.

Elmira smoothed the Andromedan's hair back with one hand. A tear fell from her eye as she gazed at his face.

"Catalina," Radu translated for Derik as he closed his eyes. "Thank you for giving me hope. Thank you all for giving me freedom."

With a final sigh, Derik left his friends to join his ancestors in the heavens.

There was a pounding on the door as the guards tried to enter.

"Quick!" Elmira said. "On the ship! Get it ready to go!"

Catalina, Gyana, and Radu entered the ship with the Andromedan lingering behind to wait for the Sirrola. The door broke to splinters and Warlord Shett came in followed by several guards. Elmira stood her ground as the ship behind her flared to life.

"Dear sister," Shett said. "How kind of you to capture the slaves."

"They are not slaves," Elmira retorted. "They are friends and will be allowed to leave."

"Sister, you are beginning to anger me," Shett warned. "Know that your powers are not so great as to be expendable. You are not as useful to me as you were to our father."

Radu entered the ship, standing inside the door to listen to the rest of the conversation.

"Do whatever you want with me, Shett," Elmira said. "I have seen my own future and I know what it to become of me. Nothing you do can make me stray from that path."

She turned and stepped onto the plank leading to the ship. Radu heard the blasters of the guards power up. 

"Elmira!" Shett bellowed. "Enter that ship and you will forsake your Emperor! You will renounce your title and be banished from the Empire!"

Elmira turned coolly to her brother.

"I renounce my name," she said. "And whatever rank came with being a prisoner in the palace. Know this, dear brother. Warlord Shank was a far better Spung than you could ever be."

She entered the ship, leaving Shett standing in the space port, surrounded by guards yet utterly alone.

**********

As the ship left the orbit of the Imperial city, Catalina swerved back. She headed straight for the Christa, which was under guard from the city but not from the stars. 

The Christa quickly allowed the small craft to land and the four intruders snuck on board. They headed first to the Compost to scanned for life. To their dismay, they found Thelma in pieces on the ground.

"Oh no!" Catalina muttered.

"I'll get her back together," Radu said. "You guys check out the ship."

Elmira had been strangely silent since their escape from Warlord Shett. She removed the Spung machinery from the helm and helped run the scan as Radu pieced the android back together.

"No other life on board," Gyana reported.

"Let's go," Radu said. "Cat, you fly her."

Catalina's eyes lit up. "Finally! You'd think after all those years on the Christa I would have a chance to fly. Harlan was always such a hog!"

**********

Catalina flew through space with Gyana gliding along outside. Through the view screen, the Guardian's sleek tail could be seen keeping speed with the ship. 

Elmira sat in the team room, her face in her hands. Radu stood by the doorway to keep her company, feeling her pain yet not knowing what to do. Finally, Elmira looked up. Radu could see her make up was smeared from the tears and her green scales seemed paler than usual.

"Oh, Radu!" she sobbed as he moved towards her. "What have I done? I have renounced my title, my family, my people! I'm alone, just plain old Elmira the Spung. Where am I to go?"

Radu sat down next to her and held her in his arms, completely unprepared to deal with her situation. He had never seen Elmira when she had not been completely in control.

"You could come to Starcademy," he suggested.

Elmira raised her head and sniffed. "Starcademy?" she repeated. "Will they take a Spung as a cadet? We almost destroyed the UPP - twice!"

"They took an Andromedan only a year or so after the war, why wouldn't they take a Spung? It will be difficult for you, but you will have us."

Elmira lay against Radu's chest and sighed.

"We would be together," Radu added.

The former Sirrola smiled up at him and nodded. "I would like that," she said. "Just think - a Spung for a StarDog!"

She laughed and in that sound, Radu knew that everything was going to be all right. The Christa flew through space as if nothing had even happened and everything was as it should be.


	8. War Hath No Fury

WAR HATH NO FURY

PROLOGUE

__

It has been one full year since Catalina, Gyana, Radu, and Elmira escaped the Spung aboard the Christa. Elmira, refusing her Spung titles, has joined Starcademy as a symbol to the UPP of a chance for peace. She had been ridiculed and mocked, like Radu before her, until she demonstrated her oracle talents to the students. After her predictions came true, she was accepted with slight reservation but not persecution.

_The Spung threat that had almost caused a third war had been repelled, and Catalina and Radu were honoured in a special ceremony and given medals for bravery. Gyana stayed around Starcademy for several days before disappearing without a trace._

The excitement wore off, the year rolled on, and boredom set in at Starcademy . . . . . . 

**********

Warlord Shett walked into his uncle's throne room, ignoring the list of titles and compliments the herald bestowed upon him. Emperor Biket IV, Lord of the Spung, lounged on his throne. As his nephew approached, he looked up with steel in his eyes.

"Has the Sirrola been found?" Biket demanded.

Shett stood his ground. "She is only a female, Sire."

"Not just any female," Biket reminded him, "an oracle! Spung oracles are rare and the ancient prophecies clearly say that an oracle will lead the Spung to a higher level of existence."

Shett nodded coolly. "She will be found, Sire."

"See that she is," Biket threatened, "or it will be your hide instead of hers."

Shett bowed once, turned on his heel and stalked out of the throne room. Emperor Biket watched his heir leave and a smile passed over his scaly face. He shifted his grotesque bulk in the chair and began to laugh. Slaves scurried away in fear as their master suddenly became amused. 

"Sirrola Elmira," Biket muttered. "The most powerful female of the Spung. She controlled her father, she tried to control me, but her brother will outmatch her at last."

**********  
Elmira straightened the jacket of her Starcademy uniform. Her long hair was arranged in a French twist - a style normally worn by Yensidians, according to Catalina. She walked down the hall as if she owned it, ignoring the jeers and catcalls from her fellow cadets. They feared her, as they should. She was Spung, after all.

She shook her head in disgust as the thought passed through her mind. She knew she was no better than the rest of them. As a spit ball sailed passed her head and landed with a splat on the wall, she corrected herself. She knew she was better than _a few_ of them, at least.

"Elmira! Wait up!" 

The former Sirrola turned to see one of her new friends running down the hall. The Neptunian ran like flowing water, without effort or apparent difficulty. She slowed as she approached Elmira and smiled warmly.

"Did you get all the questions done?" Clito asked.

Elmira shook her head. "I must admit, you humanoids do have a lot of things to learn. Is this course really relevant to becoming a StarDog?"

Clito laughed. "Sometimes I wonder that myself," she said. "Well, it doesn't matter, does it? Our superiors tell us what to do, and we do it or we're punished. It's not that bad, once you get used to it."

"I'm still having difficulty trying to understand how females can rise to such stations as StarDog. Among the Spung, we have no such rules. I am - or I was - a Sirrola simply because of my birth, yet I received no special status."

"Like I said," Clito giggled, "you'll get used to it. Come on, we're going to be late."

Elmira and Clito headed down the hall and Elmira told herself in passing how nice it was to have real friends.

**********

Gyana sailed through the stars. She flicked her tail sharply, moving quickly out of the range of a passing ship. Guardians were supposed to remain hidden unless they needed to be seen, she reminded herself. But she had been seen - by the Spung, by the UPP, and by the Christa. They knew of her and her race now. She had disgraced herself again and she couldn't even warn her kind about the danger they now faced. The UPP had been nice to her, offering her a chance to remain in their space and guard their borders. She had told them that she saw no borders in space, nor anything that would show their ownership and had left. 

The emptiness of space was calm and refreshing after so long aboard the Christa. She had missed the freedom of her kind and the relaxation that came with gliding.

Nearby, a UPP patrol vessel came into view. Quickly, Gyana teleported away to avoid being seen by their scanners and watched it pass. It bore the symbol of the Starcademy and Gyana wondered what was going on with her friends. 

With a shrug, she pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, flicked her tail, and sped off into the stars.

**********

"Isn't this exciting?" Catalina asked. "Just think, the Admiral will be here! In person!"

"It's no big deal," Harlan muttered. 

"You're just saying that because he's your step father," Clito chided.

"What is a step father?" Elmira asked.

They were eating lunch in the crowded cafeteria as news of the Admiral's arrival filtered through the student body. Nervous conversation replaced the usual rambunctious behaviour as everyone prepared themselves to meet with the leader of the UPP.

"A step father is the husband of your mother," Radu explained. "It's common for Earthers to choose another mate once one has passed away."

"I see," Elmira said. "Does that not cause confusion among your descendants?"

"Not really," Harlan said. "There are so many Earthers that its almost impossible to marry someone related to you."

"I thought it was strange at first, too," Radu admitted. 

They all turned back to their meals as the excitement rose. Teachers paced in front of the doors as robots cleaned the halls and dorm rooms.

"It's time to go," Radu remarked.

"Attention all students," a voice said over the comm. system. "Please report to your sleeping quarters for inspection. That is all."

**********

A curious light caught Gyana's eye as she floated in space. It blinked like a star, yet moved more rapidly than anything she had ever seen. As it approached, she could sense a large crew on board. She hid as it soared passed and she recognized its markings immediatly; Spung. It altered its course and blasted into hyper drive, leaving her alone in space. Gyana blinked in frustration and set off in pursuit. She knew where the vessel was heading on its present course. In a few hours, it would be in UPP space, orbiting the Starcademy.

**********

Admiral Cody's speech was long and boring. He explained over and over again the importance of discipline to every StarDog and the treachery of space. 

"You have all seen war," the Admiral said. "You have all killed, seen death, and some of you have even come close to death yourselves. It has been the bravery of you cadets that has kept the UPP alive for so long. I am proud of all of you."

"Not me, I bet," Harlan muttered under his breath.

Radu looked at him sharply, concern in his eyes. Harlan took no notice of his friend and the Andromedan returned his attention to the speech.

"And so," Admiral Cody concluded, "I thank you for joining Starcademy and I salute you as you head toward your future careers in the UPP."

The entire student body rose and saluted the Admiral. Cheers and applause sounded as Admiral Cody bowed and left the stage. Harlan remained silent as the cadets filtered out of the auditorium and returned to their classes.

**********

Gyana caught up to the Spung ship as it recharged its hyperdrive engines. Stealthily, she disabled several key navigational systems and directed several meteors to the ship. The Spung were turned around several times before they managed to free themselves from the rocks and resume their course for UPP space. Gyana sighed with exhaustion as the ship sailed off in the wrong direction. She knew she had bought her friends a week or two at the most.

**********

Three days after the Admiral left the Starcademy, Harlan received a notice from his teacher. Curious, he downloaded it to his compupad and read the contents.

**Harlan Band:**

You have been selected among all the cadets at Starcademy to participate in special training on Orbital Station Three. Your studies have been put on hold until your training is complete. Report to Docking Bay 9 at 1200 hours to begin.

Harlan blinked in surprise. A slow smile spread over his face as the full implications of his mission hit him. He was leaving Starcademy to participate in an undercover operation! He looked at his watch and realized he had a little more than an hour to pack and leave. With a low whoop of joy, he ran down the hall.

**********

Harlan stood at attention with five other cadets. His pack was at his feet and he felt as if he was going to burst with excitement. He glanced at his team mates from the corner of his eyes. 

At the head of the line stood Gabrielle, a Venusian with orange hair and yellow skin. She had green cat-like eyes that blinked rarely and made her features more feline than human. She was tall and thin with the agility of an acrobat.

Next to her, Harlan was surprised to see Mattar, the Mercurian he had befriended during the second Spung war. He stood at attention like a statue, his blue eyes echoing the same excitement Harlan felt and his pink skin glowing slightly.

Beside Mattar stood a small Plutonian boy named Jerad. He was very small with grayish skin and black eyes. He had a thin spread of black hair atop his head. He was stout and appeared overweight, until he shook your hand. He was very muscular and strong, almost stronger than an Andromedan and had excellent night vision.

Jerad stood next to Harlan. On Harlan's left stood Kael, an Earther girl. She was a little shorter than Harlan with short blond hair and clear blue eyes. She was very intelligent and shy; she rarely spoke to anyone. There had been rumour floating around Starcademy that she had been kicked out of a private school on Earth's lunar colony because of strange phenomena that had happened, but no one had confronted her to talk about it.

Standing next to Kael, looking very uncomfortable, was Elmira. 

The door to the Docking Bay slid open and some one walked in. As he moved out of the shadows, Harlan could see the familiar figure of Seth Goddard, former Commander reduced to teacher. He carried with him a compupad and a pack of his own. He stopped in front of the six cadets and looked at each of them.

"You six have been chosen for a specific task," he told them. "You are to tell nobody where you are, or what you are doing. This mission is of the strictest confidence. You will be gone for several weeks. Is there anyone among you who wishes to back down?" Goddard asked.

The six cadets remained silent. Goddard nodded approvingly.

"I am Commander Seth Goddard," he said his title with a kind of pride, "your superior officer for this training mission. We'll begin immediately. Everyone, pick up your packs and get on the ship."

Together, the volunteers grabbed their things and boarded the waiting transport. Before any questions could be asked, they were out of Starcademy and soaring through open space to Earth.

**********

Gyana arrived at Starcademy in time to watch the transport leave. She had no idea how to contact the UPP to warn them about the Spung, nor did she know if they would believe her. With an impatient flick of her tail, she headed to the closest space station and waited to be hailed.

**********

"There have been many reports of Spung vessels in the area," Goddard told his team. "After the near-war one year ago, the UPP has been in stand by for a major assault. That assault came a few days ago. An air strike of Spung ships reached our farthest border and our pilots were sent to repel them. Sadly, only half of them returned. You six have been chosen to replace those lost. You will being training in air strike procedures immediately. The training will be rigorous and tiring, but in the end, you will each receive your wings and be able to fly in possibly the greatest battle of all time."

Goddard paced in front of the six cadets. They were on board the Orbital Station Three, standing in the landing bay surrounded by the ships they were going to learn how to fly. Harlan could hardly keep the smile off his face. 

"Three of you will be our pilots while the other three will act as navigation. Once you have been made into pairs, nothing will be able to separate you, so I suggest you learn to love each other. Later on in training, you will be split into six separate pilots and learn from your experiences," Goddard continued. "We hope to have you all in top shape in three to five weeks. Hopefully, the Spung will wait until then before they strike again. Any questions?"

The cadets were silent. Goddard nodded approvingly.

"Good. Here are your pairs. Pilot Gabrielle with Mattar at navigation. Pilot Harlan Band with Kael at navigation. Pilot Elmira with Jerad at navigation. You will have the remainder of the day to acquaint yourselves to your partner and the rest of the group. We will reassemble here at 0500 hours. You're dismissed."

Goddard turned on his heel and walked away from the group. Jerad looked at his new partner with disgust as Gabrielle and Mattar began to introduce themselves. Harlan ran after the Commander.

"Commander," he called. 

Goddard stopped and turned to face his former crew member.

"Yes, Mr. Band?"  
"Did you chose me for this mission? Based on our experience on the Christa, I mean."

Goddard smiled. "Do you think I made a bad choice?"

"No, no," Harlan said quickly. "Of course not. I just wanted to, you know, thank you for thinking of me."

"You're welcome, Harlan."

Goddard turned and kept walking.

"By the way," Harlan called again.

The Commander turned.

"Congratulations on the reinstatement of your rank," Harlan said.

Commander Goddard smiled again and saluted his student. Harlan returned the salute and headed back to the small group of future Air Strikers.

**********

Gyana had waited for almost a full Earth day for permission to land on the space station. With a sigh, she left its orbit and headed back into space. Perhaps she would encounter another UPP vessel before the Spung realized their navigation computer had been tampered with. She wondered how far off course they were right now. With a self satisfied smirk, she glided away from Earth and into the stars.

**********

Harlan flew the small fighter ship like a pro. Behind him, Kael monitored the ships progress and made slight course corrections. It was the third day of the intensive training and Harlan had found that he enjoyed having Kael with him in flight. She was very good at her job, although not quite as good as Radu had been.

With a pang of sadness, Harlan wondered what Radu and the others were doing back on Starcademy. Commander Goddard had forbidden any of the recruits to contact anyone and he hated to think what his friends thought of him right now.

"Correction three degrees starboard," Kael told him.

"Got it," Harlan said, adjusting his steering.

Outside his window, another ship sped past. It dipped its wings in greeting and Harlan smiled. Elmira was flying that one with the small Plutonian Jerad. 

"It's time to head back," Kael said. "Entering flight path back to base."

"Okay," Harlan said. "Say good bye to the stars until tomorrow."

Kael smiled. "I would if I knew the stars would answer."

The ship turned and flew back to the Orbital Station.

**********

"That was some fancy flying," Harlan said.

"Thank you," Elmira replied, dipping her head in acknowledgment. "You were not so bad yourself, Harlanband."

Harlan laughed. "I thought I told you a long time ago that my name is two words, not just one."

"I remember," Elmira said. "I was just teasing you. I thought it was a common Earther pass time."

"More than a pass time, for some," Kael remarked, walking into the locker room where Harlan and Elmira were talking. "Where I'm from, teasing and being teased is a way of life."

Kael opened her locker and stepped out of the gray flight suit she had been wearing. The staff on the Orbital station had provided suits and gear for the six new recruits and each one had their name embroidered just below the Starcademy insignia. Underneath the suit, Kael and the other cadets wore simple gray pants and yellow shirts. 

"It can't be that bad," Harlan said. "Teasing is just fun."

"As long as the person who is being teased thinks it is," Kael corrected sharply, "otherwise, it's just cruel."

She turned and stalked away. Harlan and Elmira watched her leave. With a shrug, Harlan turned back to his conversation.

"Have you been able to contact Radu?" he asked.

"I have entered his dreams," Elmira replied. "He is concerned about us and our disappearance. I haven't been able to reach him when he is awake."

"When you do reach him, remember not to tell him anything about what's going on here," Harlan reminded her. "If word gets out, who knows what will happen."

"I know the Spung Intelligence Service," Elmira said tartly. "They are hardly a threat. Spung rely more on brute strength and numbers than cunning. That is why they are so easily defeated."

Harlan stared at her. "You speak of them as if you were not one of them."  
"I am no longer Spung," Elmira said. "I may look like one, but I am not. I relinquished that name when I left the Imperial City. I am no Spung's female."

"That's right," Harlan said with a smile. "You're a Starcademy cadet and you're going to be the first female Spung StarDog in the entire UPP fleet."

Elmira returned the smile somewhat hesitantly. "I hope you're right, Harlanband," she said.

**********

The Spung vessel slowed from light speed and reached the edge of UPP territory. They had managed to repair the damaged circuitry that had altered their course by hundreds of light years. Now, after several hyper jumps, they were almost in UPP space. 

"Turn on the cloaking device," Warlord Shett ordered.

The ship disappeared from view. Silently, it sailed passed the UPP guard ships and into UPP space. Now, it was only a matter of days before they reached the Starcademy.

Gyana saw the Spung vessel creeping slowly through space. She didn't actually see it with her eyes, but she could feel the disruption in the solar waves and knew it was there. Her large eyes widened with fear as she realized how close the UPP was coming to destruction. Frantically, she turned around and sped as fast as she could back to the space stations.

**********

Harlan flew his attack pattern, matching Gabrielle pace for pace. They had been practicing for hours, flying simulations, destroying hidden targets, and having a great time.

It was exhilarating for Harlan being in command of a ship. So much time had passed since his piloting of the Christa that he nearly forgot how much fun it was. He smiled as he dodged another set of laser fire from the mock-Spung vessel they were 'fighting'. Kael looked at him strangely as he yelled out in delight.

"Locked on," she said.

"Never mess with Harlan Band," Harlan said as he fired his lasers. 

The unmanned simulation ship exploded as the lasers struck and Commander Goddard came over the comm. system.

"Good work, team. You're finally getting it. Tomorrow, we can start on individual ships. Let's head home."

"Coordinates set," Kael said. "I could really use a long, hot shower."

"Me too," Harlan agreed. He began to turn the ship when a glint of silver caught his eye. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Kael replied, staring at the scanner. "There's nothing out there."

"No," Harlan said. "Something's there. Let's go look."

"But the Commander - " Kael started, but Harlan had already changed course. With a sigh, Kael fed the coordinates of Harlan's imaginary thing to the helm.

Harlan's ship moved away from the triangle of ships heading back to the Station. The other two ships continued forward.

"Harlan," Mattar said over the comm. system. "Where are you going?"

"Just checking something out," Harlan replied. "I'll be back in a sec."  
He switched off the comm. system and began to fly faster.

**********

Gyana saw the fighter ship heading straight towards her and smiled to herself. It was about time someone from the UPP noticed her. She was being extremely obvious about being found. She floated in space, turned her microphone to UPP frequency, and waited to be hailed.

"Hey, Gyana," the ship's pilot said. "What are you doing in UPP space?"

"Harlan?" Gyana asked. She laughed. "I could ask you the same question."

Harlan Band smiled. He had met the Guardian after the Christa had returned to Starcademy. In the few days that Gyana had stayed around, she had become fast friends with Harlan and Rosie. Bova had remained wary around her and Clito had spent most of her time with Elmira.

"There is no time for small talk," Gyana said. "I must speak with your Commander. The UPP is in great danger."

"Danger? From what?"

"Spung."

**********

Gyana sat in Commander Goddard's temporary office, her slender legs crossed in front of her and her cloak resting against her shoulders. She watched Goddard pace back and forth as he contemplated her warning.

"The Spung are here, in UPP space, under a cloaking device?" Goddard repeated.

Gyana nodded.

"You saw them enter and did nothing to stop them?"

"What could I have done, Commander?" Gyana asked. "I had already disabled their navigation system to buy the UPP more time. I could not attack them directly."

Commander Goddard sighed and sat down on the edge of his desk. Harlan stood patiently at the door with Kael beside him.

"I better tell the Admiral," Goddard muttered. "Could you find the Spung vessel again?"

"They are heading for Starcademy," Gyana said. "They will arrive in three days, by my calculations."

"Are there any other Spung ships nearby?" Goddard asked.

"I do not know," Gyana answered. "I have not sensed any drastic disturbances, but it is possible they arrived without my knowing."

"You're all dismissed. Gyana, I would prefer it if you stayed around here for a while. You're the only thing I have to back up your story. Harlan can show you where you can sleep," Goddard said.

Gyana nodded her head and rose from the chair. Harlan lead the way, followed by Kael as Goddard sunk into his chair and put his head on the desk. Two wars in one lifetime was rare, but could the UPP cope with the losses of a third Spung war?

**********

Elmira sat silently on her bunk as Harlan explained the situation to his fellow Air Strikers. Her face revealed no emotion, but inside she was breaking. The time had come for her to choose her loyalty - Spung or StarDog.

Gabrielle sat next to her. The Venusian wore her orange hair back in a high pony tail, like the Guardian Gyana did. Her golden skin shimmered and her eyes mirrored concern for her friend.

"Are you all right with this?" Gabrielle asked.

Elmira turned and forced a smile. "I'm fine," she managed to say. "I have relinquished all ties to the Spung. I am a Starcademy cadet and part of the UPP."

"So you're not going to have any trouble killing your own people?"

Elmira shook her head, not trusting her voice. Gabrielle smiled and stood. The Venusian patted Elmira's shoulder and walked away. Elmira returned to her thoughts, only to be interrupted by another visitor sitting next to her. When the Spung turned, she was surprised to see Gyana's blue eyes staring into her soul.

"You are troubled, Spung princess," Gyana said.

Elmira saw that she could not lie to the Guardian and nodded miserably.

"You are torn between two loyalties," Gyana continued. "You do not like your Spung heritage, yet feel bound to it. You are trapped between conflicting emotions and you do not know which to follow."

Elmira nodded again and lowered her head.

"I do not love my people or what I am," Elmira said, "but how can I destroy my brother?"

"Perhaps this is one battle you should watch, rather than play," Gyana suggested.

Elmira raised her head and looked at the Guardian. Gyana's face was one of concern, as if she truly felt Elmira's pain. With another forced smile, Elmira tried to convince her friend that she was fine. 

"I can see the souls of the living as clearly as I can see the stars in the sky," Gyana said. "You cannot fool me, Sirrola, but if that is the game you wish to play then so be it."

As the words left her mouth, the Guardian disappeared. Elmira blinked in surprise before she remembered Gyana's strange powers. With a sigh, she returned to her thoughts.

**********

"We have the school in our sights," a Spung warrior reported.

"Excellent," Warlord Shett hissed. "Alert the rest of the fleet to start mobilizing quietly at our position. We will remain cloaked until we have a sizable army."

The warrior saluted and rushed off to fulfill the Warlord's orders. Shett clapped his scaly hands and another warrior appeared. He bowed once and awaited his orders.

"Kill the ship," Shett commanded. "Leave on only what we need to survive and the cloaking device. I don't want any UPP ships to know that we're this close to their precious school."

The warrior saluted and Shett sat back. On the view screen ahead of him, the Starcademy floated before him. Despite himself, he began to laugh. The fools who ran the UPP wouldn't know what hit them, that he was sure of.

**********

The UPP Air Strike fleet was mobilized only a few hours after Commander Goddard finished talking to Admiral Cody. All the pilots as well as the six new recruits, crowded into the small Orbital Station as they prepared for battle. Gyana had left without saying good bye, but no one was surprised. The Guardian was unpredictable at times and there wasn't a single person on the Station that had the authority to make her stay.

Elmira checked her helmet for glitches as she sat in her flight suit. The newly arrived pilots had all looked at her with concern until they were assured by Commander Goddard that she would not betray them. Elmira wished she felt as comforted by his words as her colleagues did.

Sitting across from her was Jerad, her navigator. The three navigators had barely gotten enough practice to fly against the Spung, but were eager nonetheless to take part in the action. Jerad was strapping his boots on as Elmira watched. 

"Are you excited?" Jerad asked.

"Not really," Elmira replied. "I do not approve of this kind of violence."

"Then why did you join the Starcademy?" Jerad wondered.

Elmira thought of Radu. "Other reasons," she answered.

Jerad finished with his books and sat up, his dark eyes glowing. "I'm looking forward to flying in a real battle," he said. 

"Really?"  
He nodded. "That's why I joined Starcademy; to become an Air Striker."

"I would have thought that someone of your skills would have been more suited for ground battle," Elmira commented.

"You mean because of my night vision?" Jerad laughed. "Sure, it works fine on the ground, but it works just as well in space."

The alarm sounded and a dozen Air Strikers raced passed the small area where the Spung and Plutonian sat. Harlan was among them and he slowed briefly when he saw his friends.

"C'mon," he shouted. "The Spung have attacked Starcademy!"

**********

Gyana glided restlessly around her cage. The Spung squadron had attacked quickly and quietly, appearing out of nowhere and erecting an energy field around the startled Guardian. They must have been sitting for hours for Gyana to miss sensing their trail. 

She was blocked in on all sides by the energy field, with only a small area of space to move around. Worse than that, her teleportation powers seemed to be nullified by the field, leaving her defenseless. 

She sighed as she stared into the Spung ship that guarded her. She hoped they enjoyed their fun while it lasted. Harlan and the other Air Strikers would be out in no time to counterattack the large force that bombarded the Starcademy, if only they arrived in time.

**********

Commander Goddard flew the lead ship in his squadron of Cadet Strikers. Following close behind him were Harlan, Elmira, Gabrielle, Mattar, Jared, and Kael; each in their own ship. The other five squads of seven ships each flew in formation around them, protecting the rookie flyers from most of the battle.

"Would you look at that . . . " Harlan muttered over the comm. system.

An entire fleet of Spung vessels had surrounded the Starcademy. Over a hundred small ships flew around ten larger ships like fireflies around a porch light. Several kill cruisers sailed lazily past, patrolling the perimeter they had set up around the school.

Commander Goddard swore.

"What do we do?" Gabrielle asked.

"They haven't gotten into the school yet, so don't worry about your friends. Form up like you were taught back at the Station," Goddard ordered. "We're in for one long fight."  
"Commander, we're very outnumbered," Jared pointed out.

"Don't worry," Matt encouraged. "We'll do fine."

"Unless we all die," Kael muttered.

"Quiet," Harlan snapped. "You sound like a Uranusian."

The other ships were facing similar conversation of hopelessness, only to have their commanders snap them out of it.

"The Admiral is sending more ships," Goddard assured them. "We only have to hold the Spung back until they get here."

"Easier said than done," Elmira said softly.

The ships headed in for the attack.

**********

Mattar flew like he was the only person on the battle field. Dozens of Spung ships passed into his range of fire, and only a slim few escaped. He fired at anything that moved, concentrating on a picture of Rosie he had in his mind. She was still at Starcademy, and probably scared out of her wits at the thought of the Spung invasion.

_At least she has Radu to comfort her_, Matt thought.

He spotted another ship and fired before noticing something peculiar out of the corner of his eye. Two Spung ships that did absolutely nothing. They seemed to be guarding something. 

"Hey Harlan," Matt called.

"Yeah?" 

"Do you see those two ships behind the kill cruiser?" 

"Yeah, what about them?"

"I think they're guarding something."

There was a pause at the other end of the line. Matt fired on a few more ships as he waited. Fearing the worst, he tried to reach his friend again.

"Harlan?"  
More silence. Finally, "Yeah?"  
"Check it out, will you?"

"You got it," Harlan replied.

**********

Harlan tried to wipe the smile off his face and be serious, but flying around shooting at Spung was just too much fun. Each explosion he heard brought back memories of his father, killed in the first Spung war. Mattar's request had brought him out of his killing spree temporarily so he could soothe his worried friend.

The kill cruiser paid no attention to the small ship as it sailed beneath it. On the other side were the two ships that Matt had spoken of. Harlan saw that his sensors picked up an energy field - no, he corrected himself, it was more like an energy cube with something in it, something living.

"Gyana!" Harlan gasped.

Firing on the closest of the two ships, he managed to attract some attention. The two ships both concentrated their fire on Harlan as he shot to dismantle the energy cube. Finally, he destroyed one of the ships and the field vanished from his sensors. Almost immediately after, Gyana vanished. Retreating, Harlan left the final guard ship alone and headed back to the fight.

**********

The fleet the Admiral promised almost didn't arrive in time. The sheer numbers of the Spung force almost completely devastated the small squadron of Air Strikers. As Commander Goddard ordered the ships back to regroup, Harlan noticed with alarm and sadness that two of the six student flown ships were missing.

"No time for sentiments," Elmira told Harlan. "There are still enough ships out there to threaten the safety of Starcademy."

"Roger," Harlan said. "Let's kick some Spung butt!"

As Harlan and the other four ships flew back into the fray, a large wall of machinery drifted out from behind Earth to join them. The UPP fleet was full of ships from all over the galaxy - Uranusian, Alphaen, Andromedan, Pentarish, and even a small force from the remote planet of Zetaa.

"Now we're cooking!" Harlan exclaimed.

"Cooking?" Mattar's voice came over the comm. "I thought we were fighting."

Harlan laughed as he shot more Spung ships, however, it soon became clear that, despite the reinforcements from the UPP, the Spung threat was too large to handle.

Suddenly, the Spung formed up in a ring around Starcademy and the UPP attack pulled back. Harlan followed the others, confused as to the actions.

"Commander," Harlan asked over the comm. system, "what are we doing?"

"Retreating," Goddard said grimly. "The Spung have captured Starcademy."


	9. Like A Spung Scorned

LIKE A SPUNG SCORNED

The student body of Starcademy was cluttered into the cafeteria like the prisoners they were. Spung guards patrolled the hallways, Spung warriors stood at all the doorways. Everywhere, in the entire school, there were Spung. 

The attack had come suddenly and without warning. The StarDog veterans who taught at the school were easily outnumbered and in a few hours, the entire school had fallen to the Spung assault. The teachers were locked together in one classroom while the cadets were ushered into the cafeteria. Several of the older students fought back and were either injured or killed. The younger students whimpered and hid as the cadets were divided by race.

Soon, Earthers stood alone, surrounded by Spung. The next group was a mixture of Mercurians and Venusians followed by the few Saturnians and Neptunians, and the Plutonians and the Uranusians. All the students were grouped, except a lone Andromedan.

"Andromedan," one of the Spung called mockingly, "Serve us."

Radu glared at the Spung guard and counted their captors. Twenty five Spung were in the cafeteria, too many for him to take alone. 

"Join a group," the leader yelled. "We don't want to look at you."

Clenching his fists, Radu walked over to where Catalina and Clito stood. The Spung laughed and threw things at him as he walked. 

The laughter died down as a new Spung appeared in the doorway. Radu turned and paled at the sight. It was Warlord Shett.

"I have to hide!" Radu whispered to Catalina.

"Duck down," she answered. "Maybe he won't see you."

Radu ducked as Warlord Shett stepped into the room and looked around. He had a triumphant grin on his face.

"Children," he exclaimed. "Welcome to the Spung Academy. You will resume classes as soon as possible, but the focus of your studies will change slightly. Instead of learning to become a StarDog," he spat the word like a curse, "you will learn how to better serve the Spung Empire."

An outraged murmur spread through the students. Warlord Shett continued to smile hideously as he held up his hands for attention.

"Don't consider escape or rebellion," Shett warned. "I know of your powers and I can assure you that someone will be punished if your powers are used against the Spung."

Catalina fumed and inhaled deeply in preparation to scream. Clito clamped her hand on her friend's mouth.

"Not yet," she whispered.

Warlord Shett nodded approvingly. "Good, children. You must all go to your bunks now. There are Spung lining the halls, so no one try anything. Good night and classes will begin tomorrow morning."

He turned and headed out of the room. The Spung began to force the cadets out of the cafeteria toward the dorms. Radu walked silently beside Catalina and Clito.

"We'll organize a resistance," Radu whispered. "The united power of the students should be enough to counter the Spung."

"But there are hundreds of them," Clito remarked. "We would have to get them all together in one place to avoid punishment."

Radu sighed. "I'm working on it. The UPP will come to our help. We should wait until then."

"I hope Harlan's all right," Catalina said. "He, Elmira, and Matt disappeared awfully suddenly."

"I hope so too," Radu said. 

**********

The next few weeks passed slowly and painfully. The students were forbidden to speak to one another or to the Spung and slowly, their privileges were taken away. They wore the same gray jumpsuit every day after the Spung took away their recreational clothes and their brightly coloured t-shirts. They ate the same food every day for their one meal, went to classes, and served their Spung masters.

Several of the cadets were chosen by Spung guards as personal slaves. Those few were often gone for days without anyone seeing them. Radu shuddered to think of what was being done to them and pitied them - until he was chosen.

After class, he was seized by one of the guards. Like all the cadets, he was weak from starvation and dehydration so he didn't put up a fight. He was taken to one of the teacher's rooms. Vaguely, he wondered what happened to the teachers. The Spung guard pushed him inside.

His new master was sitting awkwardly on the chair. His tail was thrown over the hand rest and he looked quite uncomfortable. Radu glared at him and the Spung smiled.

"Andromedan," he hissed. "I paid a pretty price for you to be my slave."

"You shouldn't have wasted your money," Radu snarled.

The Spung rose and slapped Radu across the face. Radu's head turned with surprise, rather than the force of the hit and his hatred burned deeper.

"The others think a different race will serve better," the Spung continued, "but I think none serve better than Andromedans. So weak minded to go along with their brute strength."

Radu remained silent, his eyes boring into the Spung. 

"I see you learn quickly," the guard nodded with approval. "One strike was enough to teach you not to speak. Good."

The Spung put a metal collar around Radu's neck. It clicked shut with a note of permanence that made Radu wince.

"I don't think I need to explain the collar to you," his new master said. "The Luff were quite good with their prisoners, as are the Spung. With a push of a button, you either get shocked, or blown to bits."

To illustrate his point, he pushed the button on his wrist controller. A bolt of electricity soared through Radu's body, bringing with it new pain. He fell to his knees.

"It is late," his master said. "You will sleep over there."

He gestured to a dark corner near the door. Radu crawled there, not trusting his legs. The Spung laughed as he watched. 

"Tomorrow the fun begins," the Spung promised.

Radu did not doubt his words.

**********

Harlan paced in the hanger. The remainder of the student Air Strikers were seated near him. The surviving four grieved for the loss of Jerad and Kael, but they knew the only way to make the deaths count was to repel the Spung.

"Why did we retreat?" Harlan asked himself for the millionth time. "Why did we run while the Spung invaded Starcademy? Why aren't we doing anything now?"  
"Take it easy, Harlan," Mattar said. "The UPP are doing all they can."

"It's not enough."

"We all have friends in there, Harlan," Gabrielle said. "The Spung was just too much for us alone. Now we have to consider a school full of hostages."

"Those hostages are my friends!" Harlan yelled. "I can't just sit here while they suffer at the hands of the Spung."

"Who said the Spung were hurting them?" Matt asked.

"I know my people," Elmira spoke up. "I do not wish harm to the cadets, but my brother will; especially to Radu."

Gyana appeared beside the pacing Harlan. She seemed tired and drawn as she flew around the Spung, counting their defenses.

"They have two full kill cruiser crew inside the Starcademy," the Guardian reported. "There are five more kill cruisers patrolling the perimeter of the school. Starcademy's own defenses are operational and working against the UPP. Most of the small, light space craft were destroyed in the fight."

"Two kill cruisers is over one hundred Spung warriors," Elmira said. "The students cannot possibly overcome those odds."

"Never underestimate Catalina," Harlan said with fierce pride. "She'll think of a way to communicate to us or she'll destroy every Spung in the joint."

**********

Catalina bowed to the Spung guard as she entered the girls dorm. Once the lights had gone out, they would be able to speak to each other. It was the only way they kept hope alive in the Starcademy students.

As darkness set in and the guards fell asleep, the more rebellious cadets met in the corner of the large room. The boys snuck in from their dormitory through a ventilation shaft that joined the two rooms. 

There were about ten in total. Catalina assumed leadership, organizing the different groups of people. Among the rebels were Rosie, Bova, Clito, and Radu, only tonight their numbers were smaller.

"Where's Radu?" Catalina whispered.

"He was chosen," a small Earther boy said. "The guards took him away after class."

"The plan goes on without him," Catalina ordered. "How are our rations?"

"We've been stealing from the kitchens every morning," Clito answered. "I've also been able to sneak into the hydroponics lab and get some vegetables. We're well stocked."

"Medical supplies?"

"We have enough training between all of us to keep everyone alive," Rosie reported. "Absolutely no problems here."

"Tactics?"

"The plan is workable," Bova said. "I doubt we'll be strong enough to get rid of the Spung, but we definitely will irritate them."

"Okay," Catalina said with a grin, "we're almost ready to retaliate. Are the students ready?"

"Radu was supposed to tell them the plan," Clito remarked.

Catalina sighed. "I'll unite the Saturnians and Plutonians, Clito gets the Neptunians and Venusians, Rosie the Mercurians, Bova the Uranusians and Earthers. Agreed?"

They all nodded and Catalina broke up the meeting. Quietly, they all snuck back to their respective beds to rest for the next day.

"Do you really think this will work?" Rosie asked sleepily.

"Of course it will," Catalina replied. "All we need is a sign from the UPP."

**********

"The Spung will not negotiate," Shett roared. 

The image of Admiral Cody did not waver. With fierce determination that rivaled the Spung, Cody began to explain the situation again.

"The UPP will pay whatever you want," he said. "All we ask is that the students be released. If you do not comply, the UPP will be forced to attack."

Shett laughed. "The Spung will speak with another Spung and no one else. Screen off."

Admiral Cody disappeared. Shett turned his attention back to the Spung warrior that stood in front of him.

"Report," Shett ordered.

"The alien children are submissive," he said. "The strongest have been selected for mining on Spung World 7. Most of the females have already been claimed by the guards and the others can be used for - sport."

Shett nodded. "Have the kill cruisers clear a path for transport. As soon as the alien children are safely scattered throughout the galaxy, the UPP will have no choice but to surrender."

The warrior bowed and left the room. Warlord Shett laughed to himself. His plan was succeeding and with the UPP out of the way, nothing could oppose his claim for the Imperial throne.

**********

Radu crouched in the dark corner that had become his bed. Above him, his Spung master snored away. Radu dreamed of snapping the sleeping Spung's neck, but knew if he did, he would never get the collar removed. It required a special code that only the Spung knew and he was far too weak to snap it himself.

Quietly, Radu rose to his feet. It had been weeks since the Spung had invaded. He knew the cadets wouldn't be able to last for much longer. The UPP was taking too long. It was time he took matters into his own hands.

The small desktop computer that had belonged to the teacher that had previously occupied this room remained on the table. The Spung hadn't figured out how to decode the lock and they hadn't bothered to force Radu to do it. He was just an Andromedan, after all. Smiling to himself for the first time since he had been chosen, Radu cracked the code and began composing an SOS to the one person he knew would answer.

**********

The UPP hadn't acted. Their supplies were rapidly dwindling and the UPP hadn't acted. Catalina sighed to herself as she passed out the last of the fresh vegetables to the cadets. With the meager rations the Spung permitted, the supplies were the only way they survived. Catalina had hoped that they would have lasted until their rescue. She hated to admit she was wrong.

"We can't wait," Bova said. "I'm starving!"

"Bova's right," Clito agreed. "We must act."

"The plan won't work unless the Spung are distracted by the UPP attack," Catalina reminded them. "We have to wait."

"I've treated more cases of malnourishment and dehydration than I can count," Rosie said. "Cat, we can't take much more of this."

Catalina looked sympathetic, but could only shake her head. The Spung needed to be destroyed swiftly, in one swoop. The only way for that to happen was if the UPP took care of the kill cruisers outside.

"We stick to the plan," Catalina decided. "We could end up getting ourselves all killed."

"We're dead anyway," Bova said.

Cat shot him a dirty look. "The UPP will come through for us," she whispered. "We just have to hang in there."

The small group looked at her skeptically. Catalina sat up straight and stared at each one, daring them to question her.

"Whatever you say," Rosie agreed. "We'll wait."

**********

Elmira pressed her eyes tightly together in concentration, her scaly fingers resting lightly on her temples. Harlan and Matt stood next to her, waiting patiently for her to break through. Finally, the Spung gasped and her eyes flew open.

"I cannot reach him," Elmira said. "His mind is too weak right now."

"Too weak?" Harlan demanded. "They must be torturing him, or worse! We have to act."

"Calm down," Mattar said. "We don't know anything for certain. Wait until Gyana returns."  
Harlan looked angry and sat down next to Elmira. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. Matt rolled his eyes and tried to think of something comforting to say, when Commander Goddard walked in. Of all the Air Strikers, none were as tired or as concerned as the Commander and it showed on his face. He seemed more pale and withdrawn than before and Harlan noted that he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight as well.

"What's the news?" Harlan asked.

"We've gotten reinforcements," Goddard said somewhat sadly. "The UPP were trying to keep them out of the fight, but somehow they got word of the battle and are on their way to join us."

"Who?" Harlan demanded.

Goddard raised his eyes to look at his student. "The Andromedans. The Andromedans are coming to fight the Spung."

**********

Radu was allowed to return to class for a few hours while his master made his report to Warlord Shett. With the Luff collar still around his neck, he stumbled into the classroom and endured a lesson on slave obedience. His eyes scanned the room for friendly faces, but all he could see were the pale, tired faces of the hopeless. The cadets of Starcademy had all but given up the thought of freedom and had gradually accepted Spung dominion. With falling spirit, Radu found himself thinking the same thing. It had been weeks since the invasion, and still no sign of help from the UPP. Maybe they didn't care after all. 

Radu found his concentration slipping as various sounds from around the school began wafting into his mind. Usually he could tune out the unwanted noise without thinking, out of habit rather than thought. Lately, he found that his hunger and thirst made his instinct slip until he was bombarded by sound and unable to sort them out. He shook his head as a conversation between a Spung warrior and a young cadet filled his mind. He managed to regain control of his hearing just as the blaster was powered up. He was sure the young cadet was suffering for whatever crime he had committed. He also found that he didn't care his classmate was being punished. 

_Better him than me_, he thought.

"Your demands will not be met," Admiral Cody said.

Radu's attention was snapped onto that one sentence as the rest of the school noise disappeared.

"I think I can be very persuasive, Admiral," Shett hissed. "I have a school of hostages, while you have only a few pathetic fighter ships."

"You are holding a ticking time bomb," Cody threatened. "Soon, it will explode in your hand and then you'll be forced to accept my proposal."

Shett laughed. "You are a fool, Admiral. The Spung have won. Surrender Sirrola Elmira and the United Populated Planets and we will not kill your entire race."

"Make your move," Admiral Cody said. "Attack the UPP and see how far you get. We're ready for you."

A pain through his entire body made Radu bring his thoughts back to himself. His Spung master was standing at the door and had activated the collar to get his attention.

"Andromedan, come here!" the Spung ordered.

Meekly, Radu obeyed but was filled with the hope that their imprisonment would soon end.

**********

The attack came at last. With the reinforcements the Andromedans provided, the UPP force was finally sizable enough to pose a serious threat. Harlan jumped into his fighter ship with a smile on his face. All he could think about was seeing Cat again. He felt invincible.

"Do not let emotions sway your judgment," a voice cautioned.

Harlan turned his head and saw Gyana standing on the ladder leading up to his ship. She stared at him with unblinking eyes that made Harlan gulp.

"Are you a mind reader now?" Harlan asked.

Gyana shook her head. "I came to say farewell. After this fight, you shall never see me again."  
"You're leaving?" Harlan said. "What about the party after we win?"

"Do not become overconfident either," Gyana warned. "It could destroy those you care about. Farewell, Earther."

The Guardian vanished. Harlan blinked in surprise and stood up in his ship.

"There you are!" a voice said. 

Harlan looked down and saw Mattar standing below his ship. 

"Get down from there," Matt said. "We still have a few hours before the Andromedans get here."

"I can't help it," Harlan said as he climbed down. "I can't stand the thought of Spung walking around in Starcademy like they own the place."

Matt laughed. Suddenly, sirens blared and the room filled with activity. Matt and Harlan looked around in confusion as the UPP pilots climbed into their ships. Commander Goddard came up behind them.

"The Spung are taking defensive measures," Goddard shouted over the noise. "We attack now!"

"What about the Andromedans?" Matt asked.

"We attack now!" Goddard repeated. "Get into your ships."

Harlan smiled and Matt shrugged. 

"See ya in the battle," Matt said.

"Whoever shoots last buys dinner," Harlan dared.

The airlock opened and the emptiness of space stared back at them. Stars twinkled peacefully as the ships soared into the battle field.

**********

The Spung ran everywhere. The cadets were forced into their dorm rooms and the doors barred and locked. Catalina smiled as she gathered her troops around her.

"This is the signal," she shouted. "The UPP has attacked and now, we turn the tables. Are you with me?"

The cadets roared in agreement as the carefully conceived plan went into action.

**********

Radu found himself in the boys dorm room as his master fled. The UPP battle had started and it was now or never. He heard Catalina's speech in the girl's dorm and saw the boys heading off to their posts.

"Come with me," Bova said. "We're at the front."

Radu's head was spinning with the noise. "F-front?" 

Bova shoved something into his hand. "Eat this."

Radu did as he was told and suddenly found his energy restored. With ease, he snapped the Luff collar around his neck. He then filtered out the excess sound and turned to his Uranusian friend.

"What was that?" he asked.

Bova shrugged. "Just something I made to keep our energy up. I figured if we're going to die, we might as well go down fighting."

Radu laughed. "Bova, you're amazing."

Bova coughed uncomfortably. "Come on, you're the muscles behind this plan. We need you."

The two friends headed for the door. A crowd of students had already gathered there, disappointed to find the door locked. Radu slipped his fingers into the thin cracks and pulled. Slowly, the door slid open. The students cheered as Bova and another Uranusian electrocuted the two Spung guards and the cadets swarmed into the halls. Radu headed down the hall, releasing all the cadets from their prisons and enjoying his freedom.

**********

"Watch your tail!" Gabrielle called.

Elmira swerved as the Venusian fighter destroyed the Spung ship that followed her. 

"Thanks," Elmira said.

Gabrielle waved as she flew by. Elmira gripped her controls and picked her next target. She aimed and destroyed the ship, feeling quite pleased with herself.

Harlan zoomed by her and she shot the ship tailing him. He thanked her and continued towards the Starcademy.

"Where are you going?" Elmira called.

"To save my friends," Harlan replied.

"Mr. Band, get back here. This is a direct order," Commander Goddard shouted.

Slowly, Harlan's ship turned around and he returned to the fight. Suddenly, the number of ships almost tripled as the Andromedan's joined the fight.

"On behalf of the UPP, thanks for coming," Goddard said, hailing the flag ship.

"On behalf of New Andromeda, thanks for inviting us," a female replied happily.

"Arista?" Harlan and Matt asked.

"Nice to see you guys again, too," Arista laughed. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a small force ready to invade a certain school."

"And you have two more volunteers," Harlan said.

Arista's transport ship broke off the main attack and headed for the school. Before Commander Goddard could protest, Mattar and Harlan joined the invasion as they descended into Starcademy.

**********

Catalina led a small force toward the cargo bay. The Spung had all sprung into action after hearing of the attack and the students had seized the chance. She gestured for Clito to come forward and pointed to the guarded door. The Neptunian nodded and liquefied herself. Catalina and the others watched as the puddle slipped unnoticed under the door and into the room. Several breathless moments passed as the two Spung warriors continued to guard the door, only a few feet away from where the cadets hid. 

Finally, Clito emerged from the cargo bay and solidified beside Catalina.

"They're in there," she reported. "They're all undernourished and dehydrated, but I don't think anyone is missing."

Catalina nodded. "Everyone ready?"

The group, consisting of Clito, and two Uranusians, nodded. Catalina smiled grimly and led the charge.

The cadets had the element of surprise on their behalf as the guards stared wildly at the attack. The two Uranusians hit the Spung full force with bolts of electricity while Catalina unlocked the cargo bay door. Clito gathered the dropped blasters, tossed one to Catalina, and pointed it to the unconscious guards.

"Let them out," Clito signaled.

Catalina opened the doors and was greeted by a loud cheer. The teachers of Starcademy poured out into the hall, smiling and congratulating their liberators.

"No time for this now," Catalina said. "Follow Clito to the hydroponics lab. Rosie and a few other medical students are waiting there with plenty of food and fresh water."

The teachers gave another cheer and followed the Neptunian carefully down the hall. Catalina shouldered her blaster and watched them go. Soon, a familiar face appeared in front of her.

"I am very proud of you, Catalina," Ms Davenport said. "No doubt you helped organize this resistance. Good show."

"Thanks, Ms Davenport," Catalina beamed. "That means a lot coming from you."

Her teacher returned the smile and followed the others down the hall. Catalina turned to the remainder of her team and they dragged the two Spung into the cargo bay and sealed the doors.

"Phase One complete," Catalina said into her comlink. "The teachers are on the move. Medlab, get ready."

"Rosie here," a voice said over the link. "Way to go, Cat."

"Bova here," another joined. "Phase Two is ready for go."

"Take it away, Bova," Cat ordered. "And good luck."

**********

Harlan, Matt, Arista, and several Andromedans snuck through the deserted halls of the Starcademy. Each was well armed and prepared for battle. The Andromedans had decided against using their War Chant, but they each wore the light armour of their race. They had arrived in the school hours earlier and had yet to encounter a single living thing. Classrooms were deserted and the lower levels abandoned. Harlan lead the way to the turbo lift.

"Here we go," he said. 

They piled into the lift and headed up.

**********

The floor was wet. The Spung warriors who searched the corridors for the missing children wrinkled their reptilian features in disgust as they walked through the ankle deep water. 

"Now!" 

From the puddles shot up dozens of hands, each securing itself to a Spung ankle. The warriors shot at the floor in confusion and succeeded in electrocuting themselves, however, several of the limbs retracted back into the puddles. 

"Second wave!"

A high pitch sonic cry moved down the hall in one long ripple. The Spung clamped their hands on their ears and dropped their weapons, which disappeared into the puddles. As the blast continued, the puddles scurried away leaving the Spung alone in the deserted hallway. A door opened and the Spung warriors fled into the room to escape the horrible sound. The door slid shut behind them.

"Lock," Bova commanded. "Open only to Saturnian pitch."

The door changed colours to indicate it understood the command and the Spung were trapped. The Neptunians solidified themselves as the group under Bova's leadership cheered.

"We've got some wounded," a Neptunian said.

"Move out to the medlab," Bova ordered. "Those who can, follow me."

**********

Arista and the other Andromedans clamped their hands over their ears.

"What's wrong?" Harlan asked.

"Sonic blast," Arista said through clenched teeth.

Harlan chuckled and the Andromedan girl shot him a dirty look.

"No," Harlan apologized, "not that. The blast is Catalina. They've organized a resistance."

"Whoopee," Arista said unenthusiastically. "Do they have to be so loud?"

**********

Radu took the earplugs out of his ears as the last of the sonic blast reverberated off the walls and disappeared. His head was ringing, but at least he had managed to block the worst of it. They probably heard that back on New Andromeda. He smiled as he helped Rosie with the wounded cadets that kept coming in. Now that the teachers were safe, they had extra hands around the medlab, but many of the adults were injured or weak which only added to the confusion.

The second phase had successfully disabled all the Spung warriors who patrolled the hallways. Ambushes like the one lead by Bova had occurred around the entire school on every guard until only those Spung in the principal's office were left. The phase also brought in a lot of wounded and everyone who was physically able was helping with the injured.

"Third wave is now commencing," Catalina reported over the comm. system.

"That's us," Radu said to Rosie.

"I'll be right behind you," the Mercurian said, taking Radu's hand. "Give me a second."

Radu squeezed her hand gently and left the medlab. As he rounded the corner, he ran into a group of people.

"Harlan?" Radu gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I'd say nice to see you," Harlan said, "but I've seen you look better."

"We're here to rescue you," Matt added. 

"Greetings, hatch-mate," Arista said in Andromedan.

Radu forgot about the solemn Andromedan greeting and engulfed his sister in a huge hug.

"Hatch-mate?" Radu said. "Why not brother?"

"There is no word for that in our language," Arista chided. "You know that, or have you gone soft after being around all these Earthers?"

"Okay, let's move it," Rosie said, appearing out of the medlab.

"Hi, Rosie," Harlan said.

The Mercurian squealed with delight as she caught Harlan in a fierce hug. She then turned to Matt and did the same, before breaking away awkwardly.

"Phase three, where are you?" Catalina said urgently over the comm.

"Right here," Radu reported, "and we're bringing reinforcements."

Harlan smiled as the group moved down the corridor.

"What is phase three, anyway?" Matt asked.

**********

Warlord Shett was displeased. His ships were being destroyed all around him and none of his warriors had reported back. He was left with only a small force of Spung in the principal's office. To make matters worse, there had been reports of escaped prisoners before all communication had gone down. Feeling alone, Shett began to seriously consider evacuating the mission.

"Go down to the landing bay and prepare my ship for emergency departure," Shett ordered two guards.

The Spung nodded and left the room. Warlord Shett began to pace. Not for the first time, he began to doubt the necessity of regaining Elmira. She was, after all, a female. He admitted that her prophetic powers came in useful, but they were hardly vital to the Spung Empire, especially after they destroy the UPP.

The door to the office burst open and the dozen Spung in the room found themselves facing a mob of angry students as well as their rescuers. The Andromedan Radu was at the foreground with two angry pink aliens and the Earther known as Harlanband. Behind them were several more Andromedans, the annoying Saturnian that Shank had nearly destroyed, and a host of perturbed cadets.

"Destroy them!" Shett ordered.

The remaining eleven Spung charged the group of students as Shett moved his way to the rear escape. Unfortunately, the Andromedans managed to break the charge with their brute strength and Shett soon found himself surrounded by the prisoners. He lowered his blaster and fired into the crowd. A body fell and Shett hissed in pleasure. One less rebel to worry about.

"Shett," a voice called, "you're mine!"

Warlord Shett recognized the voice of the Andromedan his sister favoured so much. Radu appeared out of the crowd, with the two pink people, the Earther, and another Andromedan at his back.

"Face me, Andromedan," Shett hissed. 

Radu's eyes flashed in anger and he attacked. Shett fired the blaster, but did not see where the bolt struck. Radu tackled him around the waist and brought him to the ground. They rolled towards the door that marked Shett's only escape. The Spung struggled with the enraged alien, seeking only to free himself from the death embrace.

"We will continue this another day," Shett promised.

He raised his blaster and fired a direct shot into Radu's chest. The Andromedan doubled over and fell, allowing the Spung to rise to his feet. The female pink alien ran towards the fallen Andromedan and Shett raised his blaster again, this time setting it from stun to kill. He fired.

"Rosie!" Mattar cried.

The bolt hit Matt full in the chest as he dove in front of Rosie to shield her from the blow. Shett vanished through the door and the remaining Spung guards were restrained. Radu sat up and shook his head, recovering from the stun.

"Are you okay?" Arista asked.

Radu took a deep breath and winced. Not trusting his voice, he nodded.

"Matt!" Rosie cried.

Arista helped Radu over to where Rosie knelt with Mattar cradled in her arms. Harlan stood behind her and Catalina had appeared from the fight to sit beside the Mercurian. 

Matt's eyes were closed and his breathing ragged. A trickle of blood came out of the corner of his mouth as his eyes flickered open.

"Rosie?" he gasped.

"Shhh," Rosie said between her tears. "Save your strength."

Matt shook his head weakly. "It's no use, I'm dying. I - I just wanted you to know that - I loved you from the moment I saw you."

Rosie cried harder and kissed him gently on the forehead. Matt sighed and let his eyes close. Rosie held him a moment longer before hugging him one last time.

"There was nothing you could do," Catalina whispered.

Rosie looked down at the peaceful face of her friend and nodded. Radu put his arm around her shoulders and she turned to bury her face into his chest. He winced as her head struck his tender ribs, but allowed her to cry. 

**********

Weeks passed and all signs of the Spung invasion vanished from sight. The memory of their imprisonment faded to the background, but for some the wounds were much deeper. 

Mattar was given a spatial burial, along with the other cadets who had died fighting the Spung. Catalina was given a medal for her leadership, and Arista was honoured for her effort in rescuing the cadets. The remaining Air Strikers - Gabrielle, Harlan, and Elmira, were also given commendations and Commander Goddard was given full command over the team. 

Rosie remained in deep depression that even made Bova worry. She rarely spoke and when she did, it was only a few words to answer a direct question. Her marks began to fall rapidly, which was very damaging since they were already low to begin with, and she rarely ate. She confided only in Radu, and the Andromedan did not tell anyone what they talked about. 

Almost two months after the Spung had abandoned Starcademy, Rosie was sitting under the tree in the biosphere where the space cases usually hung out. Radu was beside her, but neither of them spoke. 

"Am I interrupting anything?" Bova asked.

Rosie and Radu turned their heads to see the Uranusian standing a few feet away, as if waiting for permission to approach them. Rosie looked back down at her hands, but Radu smiled and motioned for him to come over. Bova did and sat down across from Rosie.

"I have to tell you something," Bova said to her.

"Do you want me to leave?" Radu asked.

The Uranusian shook his head. "No, stay. You should hear this too."

Rosie raised her head. Bova took a deep breath.

"I'm leaving Starcademy," he said. "My parents think its too dangerous here and they've enrolled me in a school back on Uranus. I won't be back for a while."

Tears began to form in Rosie's eyes again. "Oh no, not you too," she cried.

She lunged forward to caught Bova in a firm hug. Bova blinked in surprise and was unprepared to deal with this sudden show of affection.

"Don't worry, Rosie," he said. "We can still talk over the view phone and I'll come back and visit."

"First I lose Matt, now you," Rosie sniffed. "This is too much."

Bova gently disentangled himself from the Mercurian and forced himself to smile. 

"I'm going for the next year, and if I hate it, I'll come back. But you have to promise me something," Bova said.

"What?"

"Cheer up," he told her. "Go back to looking on the sunny side of the street. Mattar's gone and you can't bring him back, but you can go on."

Rosie wiped the tears from her cheeks and nodded bravely. Bova smiled and stood.

"Good bye, Rosie," he said. "Good bye, Radu. I don't regret anything we've done together and I wish it would never end."

The Uranusian walked away. 

**********

"Elmira. Species: Spung. Rank: Cadet of Starcademy. Charge: Endangering the lives of the cadets of Starcademy."

Elmira faced the council bravely. She wore her Starcademy uniform with the medal she had just won attached to the jacket. The council stared down at her from their high desks.

"You have done nothing wrong, child," a kind, elderly voice said from the desk, "but by being a Spung, you endanger the UPP. We have already said you could stay, but the unforeseen actions of your race have made us alter our decision."

Elmira waited for the verdict.

"You are permitted to remain in UPP space, but you are no longer allowed to attend Starcademy. It is the request of this council that you hide yourself somewhere the Spung will not find you."

Elmira nodded. She knew from the start that being accepted by the UPP was too good to be true. With a crisp, military bow, she turned on her heel and left the council chamber to seek her new destiny.


	10. Hiding In Shadows

HIDING IN SHADOWS

It was a beautiful morning on Earth. The sky was a deep, cloudless blue and birds flew from tree to tree. A sprinkling of dew on the lush green grass gave everything a sparkle that Harlan had come to miss during his time in space. Harlan turned around, taking in everything around him and enjoying the warm sunshine on his skin.

"Harlan?" someone called from behind him.

Harlan turned and saw his father standing in the grass. He held in his hand a baseball mitt and ball. Commander Band pulled the brim of his hat down, placing it more securely on his head.

"Come on, son," he laughed. "Are you going to pay attention or what?"

Harlan smiled and turned to give his full attention to his father. Commander Band raised his arm and threw the ball - only to have it hit Harlan in the face.

**********

Harlan woke up with a snort of surprise as the ball of crumpled paper bounced off his forehead and onto the floor. He opened his eyes to find the stern face of Capt. Gregor staring at him. Clito was just in front of the infuriated teacher and was obviously the one who had thrown the ball to wake her friend up.

"Do you find spatial defense formations boring, Mr. Band?" Capt. Gregor demanded. "Do you find this class so useless that you think you could survive in space without it?"

Normally, Harlan would have sat there and taken the teacher's lecture without responding, but he was in a bad mood from being taken away from his perfect dream.

"As a matter of fact, sir, I have survived in space without your useless lessons," Harlan retorted. 

Clito stared at him with a shocked expression on her face before closing her eyes and smacking the palm of her hand on her forehead. Harlan stared defiantly at Capt. Gregor.

"Whether or not you can manage being on a ship with a trained StarDog helping you and whether or not you can command your own ship are two different scenarios, Mr. Band," Gregor snapped. 

"It was my own defense formations that got us out of a lot of tough scrapes, sir," Harlan said. 

"It's a wonder you survived at all, then," Capt. Gregor stood up straight and headed back to the front of the classroom. "Because of Mr. Band's arrogance, you are all required to write a 600 word report on why and how regulation defense formations can save your life, your crew, and your ship."

The class groaned and several more paper balls were thrown at Harlan. The bell sounded and the classroom emptied.

"Way to go, Harlan," Clito said bitterly. "Now I've got so much work to do tonight, I won't be able to visit my garden."

"Sorry," Harlan muttered. "That guy was just really bugging me."

A student brushed up against Clito as he pushed his way through the halls. He elbowed Harlan in the ribs and disappeared into the crowd. 

"Hey!" Harlan said. "Who was that guy? I don't think I've ever seen him before."

Clito didn't answer. Harlan turned to see if his friend was listening and saw that she was standing still, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Harlan rushed over to her side and caught her as her eyes rolled into her head and she fell to the ground.

**********

Harlan paced back and forth in front of the medlab. Radu and Catalina sat across the hall from the door and Rosie was inside helping the medic. 

"Are you sure you didn't see the guys face?" Catalina asked.

"For the millionth time, I'm sure. All I know is that he had brown hair that was cut really short. I only saw the back of his head," Harlan replied. He touched his ribs and winced. "He is strong, though."

"I'm sure the security team will find him," Radu said softly. 

Harlan stopped to peek through the small windows of the medlab before starting his pacing again. 

"Someone's coming," Radu said after several minutes of silence.

Harlan paused and all three looked down the hallway as another cadet walked by. He had short, brown hair and green eyes and was obviously an Earther. He wore the customary Starcademy uniform and he looked at Harlan through the corner of his eye as he passed. Harlan kept watching him.

"That's him!" Harlan gasped.

The Earther cadet turned around in surprise and started to run when he saw Harlan running down the hall after him. Radu jumped to his feet to follow and Catalina took a deep breath in preparation of a sonic blast. Harlan got to the cadet first and took him down in a flying tackle. 

"What did you do to Clito?" Harlan demanded, turning the cadet over to stare at his face.

The cadet was confused. "Who?"

Radu picked up the cadet and held him a few feet off the floor. The cadet's eyes widened and he began to kick. Radu looked up at his captive, then back at Harlan.

"W - what should I do with him?" Radu asked.

"Make him tell you what he did to Clito," Harlan said.

"I don't know any Clito!" the cadet said. "I swear it!"

Harlan stared at the cadet for a few seconds. Catalina came up behind her boyfriend and sighed.

"Put him down, Radu," she said.

Radu did and the boy retreated to behind Catalina.

"This is Ruben," Catalina said. "He's in my engineering class on the other side of the academy that's at the same time as your defense class, Harlan. He was with me the whole time."

Harlan hit his fist on the wall in frustration and went back to pacing in front of the door. Radu licked his lips nervously.

"Sorry about that," the Andromedan apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Ruben said. "Now, what's going on?"

As they walked back down the hallway, Catalina explained everything to Ruben and he joined them in their wait in front of the medlab. Finally, Rosie came out.

"She'll be fine," the Mercurian said. "That guy security is looking for injected her with a small quantity of solution that makes her gills stick shut."

"So, why did that make her pass out?" Harlan asked. "She uses her lungs to breathe when she's on land."

Rosie passed a weary hand over her face. "She wasn't using her gills to breathe, Harlan. She uses them to gather moisture from the air to keep herself together."

Harlan's mouth formed a silent "oh" and he sat down. 

"So, it was a definite assassination attempt," Radu said.

Rosie nodded. Radu licked his lips and began to pace. Catalina rolled her eyes and sat down next to Harlan and Ruben.

"When will she be recovered?" Catalina asked.

"I already am," Clito said from the doorway.

The Neptunian definitely looked more pale than usual, but seemed to be herself. Harlan rushed over to where she stood his face full of concern. Clito smiled at him and gratefully accepted the arm he offered her. Ruben stood when he saw the Neptunian.

"You must be Clito," he said. "Principal Ravenshire asked me to find you. You're to report to her office as soon as you're able."

Harlan looked confused. "If you were delivering a message, why did you walk by the medlab?"

Ruben blushed. "I - I'm new here. I didn't know where the medlab was, so I walked right past it. Having you chase me down the hall didn't help either."

Harlan coughed uncomfortably and Catalina laughed. 

"Shall we go to the Principal's office?" Clito asked.

"If you think you're up to it," Harlan said.

Clito smiled. "I'm sure one of you could carry me if I suffered a relapse."

**********

Principal Ravenshire looked at the six cadets standing in front of her. She had only asked for one, but the loyalty of the others had brought them as well. She sighed. At least it would save her some time since she wouldn't have to summon the others later.

"Clito," Ravenshire began. "I assume you are aware of the trouble on your home planet?"

"I have been kept up to date," Clito replied, sitting in the chair in front of the principal's desk.

The green haired principal nodded and made a scene of shuffling through the papers on her desk while she studied the faces of Clito's friends. The confused expressions on their faces indicated that Clito had not told them anything. 

"I have contacted your father about the recent attempt on your life," Ravenshire continued. "He and I have decided that you will be kept under guard at all times until the situation had been solved. He also asked if you would return home."

Clito stiffened in her seat. "Return home? Why?"

"He thought you would be safer."

Clito relaxed slightly after a quick glance over her shoulder at her friends. Both Harlan and Radu looked confused, while Catalina and Rosie had concerned and sympathetic expressions on their faces. The Earther Ruben stood off to one side, staring at his shoes.

"I do not wish to return to Neptune," Clito decided. "I can protect myself and I do not need my father's help."

"Nevertheless," Ravenshire said, "I think you should have some kind of guard."

"We'll do it," Harlan volunteered. 

Radu looked at him sharply and Harlan nudged him in the ribs. 

"Y - Yeah," Radu said. "Harlan and I would be happy to watch out for Clito."

Catalina shot them both dirty looks and Clito sighed. Principal Ravenshire, however, seemed pleased. She smiled gratefully at the two boys and clapped her hands in delight.

"Wonderful!" she said. "An Andromedan and a martial artist. What better bodyguards could you ask for?"

Clito said nothing.

"Harlan Band and Radu," Ravenshire said to herself as she scanned through the computer for their respective schedules. "Mr. Band, you have a class with Clito already and Mr. Radu is in the class next to hers on three occasions. You all have lunch together as well. Wonderful!"

She gave the two newly appointed bodyguards their revised schedules and allowed the group to leave.

"Harlan, you jerk," Catalina said, hitting her boyfriend in the arm.

"What?" Harlan asked in an injured tone.

"Clito doesn't want to be protected. She doesn't want people following her around."

"So? It's just Radu and me. It'll be like always, except now Radu will walk her all the way to class instead of partway there."

"And I have to listen to the other class during my class to make sure there aren't any strange noises," Radu added, reading his assignment off the compupad. "Isn't that eavesdropping?"

"With those ears, how can you help it?" Harlan muttered softly, under his breath.

"I heard that!"

"I know."

Clito said nothing, but walked a little faster than usual. Rosie, who had remained silent throughout the interview, caught up to her patient.

"Are you okay?" the Mercurian asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine when this all blows over," Clito replied.

"It won't just blow over," Ruben spoke up. "I don't think the Neptunians will stop until they get what they want."

Clito turned sharply to stare at the newest member of the group. "What do you know about this?"

Ruben looked uncomfortable. "I've been studying it in my Planetary Issues class. Neptune's politics are interesting."

Clito seemed wary of the Earther, but let it pass. "Just keep your thoughts to yourself," she said as they continued walking. "You don't know what's going on there."

"Neither do we," Harlan spoke up.

"Yeah, Clito," Catalina said. "What's this all about."

The group was passing the biosphere as they talked and Clito stopped in front of the doors. They opened before her, sensing her presence.

"We'd all better sit down for this," Clito said, gesturing to the park-like environment inside the doors. "This is a long story."

"Not too long, I hope," Ruben said. "Lights out is in two hours and I'm tired."

"You sound like Bova," Harlan laughed. "Always thinking of sleep."

Rosie seemed pained by the mention of the Uranusian and Radu took a step towards her. Instead of welcoming the Andromedan's support, Rosie turned and followed Clito into the biosphere.

"Who's Bova?" Ruben asked.

**********

Clito sat them all down in front of their favourite tree. Harlan and Radu leaned against the trunk, with Catalina to Harlan's left and Rosie to Radu's right. Ruben remained standing behind Catalina. Clito sat in front of them and started her story.

"The trouble on Neptune started a few years after I was born. My father and our neighbour were fighting as they have been for generations, but this time it involved more people. War broke out when I was about ten and it lasted until I was fourteen. After four long years of war, the people who had been fighting were sick of the feud between my family and our neighbours, so they begged my father to stop and negotiate peace. My father is a stubborn man and refused. The people took this as a personal insult and began to plan a revolution.

"By the time I left Neptune for Starcademy at the age of sixteen, the people had been planning a revolt for quite some time. My father and our neighbour had managed to keep it under control, but two year ago; the people managed to organize enough of a resistance to tumble the entire planet into war. Things were in a kind of stalemate until now, when the people decided the best way to end the feud was to kill all the members of the two families - including me."

The group was silent for a moment as they absorbed the full extent of what Clito was telling them.

"Is your father some kind of wealthy merchant or something?" Harlan asked.

"You could call him that," Clito replied vaguely.

"Why doesn't your father just negotiate peace?" Catalina asked.

"It's too late now," Clito answered. "Our neighbours are too stubborn to listen to peace talks and the people are already out of control. All we can do is fight."

"And your father thinks you'll be safer at home?" Ruben said.

Clito nodded. "He wants to be able to keep an eye on me. I'm not sure why, since I've always been the least important in my family. That's why they let me go to Starcademy in the first place."

"That's not a nice thing to say about yourself," Rosie chided. "You're very important."

"It's nice of you to say that, Rosie," Clito said with a smile, "but it's not true. I'm far down the line of inheritance since I have two older brothers and an older sister."

"Inheritance isn't everything," Rosie said. "I'm sure your parents love you just as much as your brothers and sister."

Clito smiled. "They do, which is why they're so worried about me right now. We have to find out who the assassin is and get rid of them before they strike again."

"How do we do that?" Radu asked.

"Simple," Harlan said. "We lay a trap."

**********

Three days later, the students of Starcademy were given a free day, so the space cases could put together their trap. There had been no other attempts on Clito's life, nor had there been any clues as to who the assassin was. Harlan and Radu had taken their guarding duties very seriously and Clito always had one of them beside her, except when she slept. Catalina and Rosie kept their ears open during the night to keep their Neptunian friend safe.

Clito sat in the biosphere, strumming her harp and singing a melodious ballad. Her friends were no where to be seen. Ruben saw her and hurried over.

"Hi, Clito," he greeted her, his green eyes shining in the light. "Where are your guards?"

"I told them to go away for a few hours," Clito replied. "I was getting tired of them always hanging around and I wanted time to practice my harp by myself."

"In that case, I'll leave you alone," Ruben said. 

He turned and left. A few meters away, hiding behind some bushes, Harlan and Radu watched the entire scene. As Ruben walked away, they sat back and sighed.

"No attack yet," Harlan said. "This is getting boring."

"You're the one who volunteered us," Radu reminded him. "Get ready to watch, I hear someone coming."

This time Clito's visitors were Catalina and Rosie. They sat down with Clito and the three of them began to chat. Harlan sat back again and began to play with the dirt on the ground. Radu, however, cocked his head and listened.

"Are there any woodpeckers in the biosphere?" he asked.

"Not that I know of," Harlan replied, "but I rarely look at the birds when I come here."

Harlan's sentence trailed off as Radu stood and turned his attention to the tree. A bird flew down from one of the branches and landed on the path in front of Radu. The Andromedan shivered involuntarily as the woodpecker stared at him with deep green eyes. Suddenly, there was a faint crack that only Radu could hear and he charged forward, sweeping up all three of the girls in his arms. The large, heavy branch under which Clito, Catalina, and Rosie had been sitting fell with an earth-shattering thud. Radu, Clito, Catalina, and Rosie lay on the ground, staring at the place where seconds ago they had been sitting. The three girls turned to Radu.

"Thank you," Clito said simply.

Rosie, however, was not that controlled. She threw her arms around Radu's neck and began to sob. Catalina simply stared in shock at the massive tree branch. Harlan ran over, his own eyes widened with fear.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked, kneeling next to Catalina.

Catalina hugged him tightly. "That was really spooky," she said.

"No, what did this was spooky," Radu spoke up, gently untangling Rosie from around his neck. "It was a woodpecker with green eyes."

"Birds don't have green eyes, Radu," Clito said. 

"This one did. It landed in front of me and looked right at me. Then, the branch cracked. I almost didn't hear it." 

"We'd better solve this thing fast," Catalina observed. "If the assassin can trick an Andromedan into not hearing something, I think we're all in serious trouble."

**********

Clito wandered about her garden, watering her plants and adjusting their light. Radu stood in the corner, watching her every movement but respecting her privacy. Clito had asked him not to bother her while she was in her garden because it was the only place she felt safe and comfortable. Radu had understood, but had also stubbornly refused to leave the room. Clito ignored him the best he could.

The doors slid open and Peter Corwell walked in. The arrogant Earther had been careful to leave Radu and his friend alone after the incident on the planetary moon. He no longer insulted the space cases to their face and would hide whenever Radu came near him. Fortunately, he didn't see the Andromedan in the corner of the room.

"Professor Oakly told me to come and see you," Peter said. "I need some plant specimens for my organic chemistry class and he said you were the person to talk to."

Radu listened in surprise. Peter was actually being civil to Clito. The Andromedan could sense the tension in Peter's voice, however.

"Let me see your assignment," Clito said. 

Wordlessly, Peter handed over a compupad. Clito read the screen and her face paled. Radu heard her heartbeat speed up and he came out of the dark corner and caught Peter by the arm. Clito let the compupad drop to the ground and she sank to her knees, her eyes wide. Without letting go of the struggling Earther, Radu picked up the compupad.

**You're a tricky one, daughter of Atlantica. Perhaps murder isn't the best way to drown this fish. Hope your friends agree, don't you?**

"Did you write this?" Radu demanded, shaking Peter.

"N - no, honestly," Peter said, his fear evident in his shaking voice. "I - it was my chemistry assignment!"

Radu let the Earther go and Peter scrambled out of the garden at a run. The Andromedan sat down across from Clito and she looked up at him.

"The assassin is going after my friends," she said. "I've put you all in danger."

"We can take care of ourselves," Radu said gently. 

Clito shook her head. "No, I've got to leave. You're all too important for me to let you die. I'm going back to Neptune."

"Then we're going with you," Radu told her. "Harlan and I are sworn to protect you and I'm sure Rosie and Catalina won't let us leave them behind."

Clito smiled at him. "It's nice of you to say that, Radu, but I can't allow it. Neptune is a water world and it will be too easy for the assassins to target air-breathers. Besides, do you know how to swim?"

Radu blushed. "Um, Andromedan's can't swim. We're to heavy."

"Exactly. You have to stay here."

**********

As Radu and Clito walked down the hall from the garden, they saw Catalina running towards them. Her face was pale and her features revealed her fear. She was out of breath as she stopped her two friends.

"What's wrong?" Radu asked.

"Harlan," Catalina gasped. "He . . . was . . . attacked . . "

"By who?" Clito demanded. "Is he all right?"

Catalina nodded. "He fought . . the guy off, but he couldn't see who it was. He said it was an Andromedan."

"Impossible," Radu said. "I think I would have known if another Andromedan was here."

"All Harlan saw was the attackers long hair and green eyes," Catalina said. "Rosie is with him now. He's more shocked than anything else."

"The assassin doesn't waste any time, does he?" Clito remarked dryly. 

Catalina shot her a quizzical look and Radu explained the note Clito had received. Cat's eyes widened.

"This is definitely going too far," she said.

**********

"Welcome to UPP Report. Tonight's top stories: Space Pirates - will the UPP ever take action against this growing force? In the wake of the Spung Invasion - how the members of the UPP are recovering from the scare, and War Under Water - Neptune's continuing crisis."

The holo player began its nightly recap of the new in the UPP. Harlan, Radu, Catalina, Rosie, Clito, and Ruben all sat in the leisure room with about ten other cadets watching. Clito still had her mind set on returning to Neptune, especially after Harlan's attack, but Principal Ravenshire had advised against it since the war had taken a turn for the worst. Fearing for her family, Clito had persuaded her friends to watch the news instead of their usual free time activity of relaxing in the biosphere.

"Neptune; the seventh planet in the sol system and until recently, one of the most peaceful places in the UPP. The war to overthrow the monarchy in the two kingdoms had taken on epic proportions as the people fight in the streets to rid their planet of this unwanted rule."

"Monarchy?" Harlan asked.

"Shhh!" Clito said.

"To date," the holo player continued, "there have been many casualties on both sides, yet the power of the kingdoms seemed secure, until now. It was two standard days ago when members of the rebellion in Poseidonae broke into the palace of the royal family and murdered King Decalion and Queen Pryia. There have been reports that the Crown Prince Protus as well as Prince Bran have been kidnapped and are being held for ransom. The location of the last member of the Poseidonae royal family, Princess Atalanta, is unknown."

"Bran?" Catalina asked. "Isn't that the name of Clito's - "

"Quiet!" someone behind the Saturnian snapped.

Radu turned to look at Clito and saw that a tear was rolling down her cheek.

"In the rival kingdom of Atlantica, rebels have been looting and rioting in the streets. The capital of Scylla has been sealed off to all people to protect the royal family. Prince Nerus was murdered in a recent invasion of the palace, and Princess Amphitrite has fled the planet to an unknown location, leaving only King Oceanus, Queen Tethys, and Crown Prince Leander in the palace. There is no information on the youngest member of the Atlantican royal family, Princess - "

Clito switched off the holo player, to the groans of everyone in the leisure room. She abruptly turned and left the room, followed closely by Harlan and the others. 

Clito walked quickly, forcing Harlan to run to catch up with her. He touched her arm and she turned to reveal her tear-stained face. 

"What's with all the water works?" Harlan asked. 

Clito wiped her cheek and forced herself to smile. "Nothing, except that my family is in danger and there's nothing I can do about it."

Radu, who stood behind everyone, thought he saw a look of grim satisfaction on Ruben's face. Before he could ask the Earther what he found so happy about Clito's situation, he heard the rumble of several people coming down the hall. He looked up and saw four armed Neptunians heading for them. They all wore deep purple uniforms and carried blaster weapons. 

"Uh oh," Harlan said.

The armed men stopped in front of the little group and saluted. Clito faced them, her shoulders back and her head raised. She stared at the leader of the guard.

"You're to come with us," the leader said.

"Why should I do that, Captain?" Clito asked.

"Highness, it's by order of your father. You're to join your sister in exile."

"I am in exile, Captain," Clito said. "Don't you listen to the news? No one know where I am."

"Except the assassin," Ruben muttered. 

Clito shot him a dirty look.

"Highness, you must come with us. Scylla has fallen and your brother Leander is dead. The Queen has fled, and your father had been taken."

Clito paled. "What are you saying, Captain?"

"I'm saying, Highness, that your sister, Princess Amphitrite, is now the next in line for the throne and you after her."

**********

Clito sat on the transport. On either side of her were two large Neptunian guards who neither spoke, nor moved. They held their blasters ready and Clito stared at her hands. Sitting across from her, Radu looked worried. Rosie sat next to him with Harlan and Catalina behind them. Ruben sat across from Harlan and Catalina. 

By order of the Neptunian government, they were all forced to leave Starcademy for the safety of Princess Clito. They knew her true identity, which made them likely to talk, according to the Captain of Clito's guards. Principal Ravenshire had made it a big deal to spread rumor around school that Harlan was rejoining the Air Strikers with Catalina, and that Radu and Rosie were going home to visit their families. Ruben hardly had any friends, so his disappearance would not be missed and Clito said she was leaving for Neptune to help the rebellion. If anyone at Starcademy doubted the rumors, they did nothing about it since the transport encountered no resistance on the flight.

The transport landed on an isolated island in the vast sea that made up ninety percent of the planet's surface. When the ice caps of Earth had begun to melt, the Earthers set up an artificial atmosphere and gravity device on Neptune, which made the planet, seem very much like Earth in most respects. The Earthers then transported their excess water to Neptune and flooded it. Those few settlers of Neptune slowly began to evolve to adapt to their new environment. Numerous experiments combining fish DNA with human DNA provided the Neptunians with gills and webbed fingers and toes. For trade and for the comfort of visitors, Neptune also had extensive networks of tubing that connected all the domed cities together. Most Neptunians preferred swimming to walking and the tubes were rarely used.

Harlan, Catalina, Radu, Rosie, Ruben, and Clito stepped down from the transport and into the spaceport of Neptune. It was strangely deserted - an effect of the sealing of the city. The guards led Clito quickly through the empty building, towards a large pool of water. 

"We're not going to have to swim, are we?" Rosie asked, eyeing the water.

Clito turned. "Of course not. These guards will escort you through the tubing to the palace. My escort and I will swim and meet you there."

Both Rosie and Radu looked relieved. Clito waved good bye and followed the guards into the pool. The remaining guards led the way to the glass tubes. As they walked, they could see the fish-like inhabitants of Neptune swimming around them. Several curious children watched the air-breathers pass until their mothers dragged them away. Harlan began to feel like he was on display until the guards opened two enormous doors that led into the palace.

**********

The air-breathers found Clito waiting for them in the main entrance of the enormous palace. The room itself was in a state of disarray, having been looted recently by the angry mobs. Harlan whistled in awe as he looked around the giant room. 

"Your Highness," a new voice said.

Everyone in the room turned and saw an elderly Neptunian standing in the doorway just outside the tunnel entrance. The guards that had been escorting them immediately snapped to attention and Clito smiled warmly.

"Fenton," she said, running over to the old man. "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid your father is dead, child," Fenton said sadly. "He was captured only a few weeks ago, and the guards found his body yesterday."

"How did he die?" Clito asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Bravely, I'm told," Fenton replied. "He was wounded in several places before the finally blow through the heart. I'm sure he went down fighting."

"Just like he would have wanted," Clito replied softly. "Have the body brought to the mausoleum. We'll have a state funeral for my father and two brothers when this revolution is settled."

"Yes, your Highness," Fenton said with a bow. "It is good to see you again, Clito."

"Wonderful to see you as well, Uncle."

**********

The next morning, the space cases met with Clito in the throne room, where Clito had taken charge of her crumbling kingdom. She sat on her mother's throne, reviewing the positions of the army and the inventory of the palace. 

"Good morning," she greeted her friends.

"Good?" Harlan laughed. "Last night was the first time I was ever kept up by an angry mob."

"Are you sure the defenses around the palace are secure?" Rosie asked.

"The best," Clito replied. "They can't afford to loose me yet; with my mother and sister in exile, I'm their last hope for peace."

"So, what's the deal?" Harlan said, sitting on the steps near the throne and looking at Clito's plans. "Do we attack them or what?"

"We control their food and fresh water supplies," Clito said. "We also still have control over most of the tubing. If we infest the waters with sharks or man-fish, we can probably force everyone into the domed cities."

"And then, you'll have them all under control," Catalina said with a smile.

"But they still won't be happy," Radu reminded them. "You can't keep them cooped up forever."

"You're right," Clito sighed. "Perhaps I should see about setting up a meeting with their leader."

"Hammer out peace?" Rosie grinned. "Perfect! I'm sure they'll agree to peace if you give them the chance."

Ruben, who was standing in a corner, shook his head. Clito raised her eyes to look over her other friends and observed Ruben's subtle gesture. She frowned at him.

"What do you think, Ruben?" she asked.

"A peace treaty will never work," the Earther replied. "The people are too angry now to go back to how things were. The only way to please them is to abolish the monarchy completely."

"You got all that from your class?" Harlan demanded, his distaste apparent in his voice.

Ruben nodded. Radu though he heard the Earther's heart speed up a bit. Clito sighed and sat back into her chair. Absently, she drummed her fingers against the arm and thought.

"What do you suggest, Ruben?" she asked.

Ruben shrugged. "Give in to the people. Accept their changes."

"And allow my planet to continue the revolution?" Clito said. "Are you mad? Without a government, who will lead them?"

Again, Ruben shrugged. "Maybe they can lead themselves."

Clito dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand. "Forget it. I will conduct peace talks with the people's leader. I'm sure we'll be able to find a median."

"What about the other kingdom, your Highness?" Fenton asked from where he had been quietly standing by Clito's chair.

"Who is in charge there now?"

"Princes Protus and Bran have been taken by the rebels, the king and queen are both dead, and Princess Atalanta is missing, your Highness. I believe their First Minister is ruling."

"What is his name, Fenton?"

"Drenn, your Highness."

**********

While Clito began writing a letter to First Minister Drenn of Poseidonae, the space cases took advantage of their momentary freedom to explore the palace. A detachment of guards was sent with them, but Harlan and the others soon lost them among the many halls and doors. 

"How beautiful!" Catalina gasped.

They had been walking down a closed in corridor that had suddenly erupted into a clear dome. The walls of the room, as well as the ceiling and floor, were made of thick glass and all around them were corrals, fish, algae, and other sea life.

"So this is what under water is like," Radu breathed, standing in the middle of the room and slowly spinning around.

A sea turtle swam lazily by one of the walls, looking as surprised at Radu when the blue eyes of Radu met the black eyes of the turtle. It quickly turned and disappeared in a storm of bubbles. Radu stepped backwards in surprise and almost ran into Rosie.

"Amazing, isn't it?" she said. "I've never seen a place with so much life! On Mercury, the water is so hot that nothing can live in it."

"Where's Ruben?" Harlan asked suddenly.

The others turned around, searching every corner of the glass room for their missing friend. He was no where to be seen.

"He was with us in the last room," Catalina said.

"Maybe he got lost," Radu suggested. "I'll go look for him."

Before anyone could object, Radu had walked out of the room and back the way they had come.

**********

Radu headed down one of the tubes that connected the eastern wings of the palace to the central area located in the city. He hurried, not pausing to admire the beautiful ocean landscape around him. His only thoughts were of Ruben and his safety. 

Suddenly, he heard a tapping on the tube above him. He looked up and saw a sea turtle, like the one he had seen before. The turtle looked at him with intense green eyes that bore into Radu's soul until the Andromedan found he could not look away. The sea turtle held Radu's gaze until the glass tubing behind him cracked and a torrent of seawater came splashing into the tube. 

**********

Radu's eyes opened and slowly came into focus. He blinked as the salt from the water began to sting and he quickly clenched his eyes shut again. Tears ran down his cheeks as his eyes washed out the last of the seawater and Radu opened his eyes again. The first things he saw were green eyes.

Reflexively, Radu gasped in air and found himself choking. He coughed and spat up water, feeling his head being turned so he wouldn't swallow the water again. 

"Is he okay?" Harlan asked.

"Give him a moment," Rosie replied. "I don't think he's ever been in that much water before."

"Judging by the amount of water he's already spat up, I'd say you were right," Catalina added.

Radu finally got control of his breathing again and turned his head. He saw the green eyes once more, but also the face they belonged to. It was Ruben. Radu sighed in relief.

"What happened?" Clito asked.

Radu found himself lying on the floor of a small room. His clothes were wet, as well as his hair, and he assumed he was in a puddle. Behind him, he could hear something being sealed mechanically.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Radu said. He found his throat was very sore and his voice came out sounding scratchy.

"He's probably dehydrated," Rosie said. "Do you have some fresh water?"

Clito nodded and motioned for one of her guards to get some. All eyes returned to Radu.

"After you didn't come back, we went looking for you," Catalina said. "We found you outside one of the connecting tubes. Harlan jumped in and got you while I sealed the tube off so no one else would drown."

Radu looked over and saw that Harlan's clothes were soaking wet as well. He smiled thankfully at his best friend.

"I was looking for Ruben," Radu said slowly, ignoring the pain in this throat. "I was walking through the tube, when I saw a sea turtle. For some reason, I couldn't look away from it. The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by water and sinking fast. I tried to swim like Harlan had described it to me, but I was too heavy."

"Tell me about it," Harlan said. "I thought I'd never drag you to the palace. You weigh a ton!"

"Can you move?" Rosie asked. "Nothing broken or dislocated?"

Gingerly, Radu sat up. His vision wavered in and out of focus for a second, but he found he could move. Leaning on Harlan, he made it to his feet.

"Where did you go, Ruben?" Radu asked.

The guard returned with some water, which Radu drank greedily. Rosie finally had to take it away from him.

"Don't over do it," she chided gently.

"I — I found some interesting relics I wanted to look at," Ruben said. "I only thought I'd be gone a second, so I didn't mention it to anyone. When I turned around again, you were all gone."

Radu said nothing, but was sure he heard Ruben's heart speed up, almost as if he were hiding something.

"No serious harm done," Clito said. "I made contact with Minister Drenn. He'll be joining us shortly. I've also contacted the rebel leader, Tanya. She's agreed to meet as well."

"Great," Catalina replied. "Let's get this war over with as soon as possible!"

**********

Although everyone else had dismissed Radu's attempted murder as an accident', the Andromedan kept himself on his guard, often scanning with his hearing every room within range. He decided not to tell anyone about his eavesdropping; he knew they would understand, but he felt like he was invading the privacy of everyone in the palace and for that, he felt ashamed.

Tanya, the leader of the rebellion, arrived at the palace a few days later under heavy guard. She insisted that her escorts remain with her at all times or else she would not negotiate. Clito had no choice but to agree. Minister Drenn of Poseidonae came shortly after Tanya with his own small army of guards. They were both assigned rooms as far away from each other as possible as the negotiations got down to business.

During this time, Clito was busy all day, leaving the space cases free to wander around as they pleased. Rosie contacted Principle Ravenshire at Starcademy to inform her of the hesitant meetings between the three leaders. Ravenshire was pleased that they were all doing such excellent work. Harlan hung around with Clito's personal guards and helped with palace security while Catalina flirted outrageously with all the soldiers. Ruben disappeared without a trace, and Radu continued his silent watch over Clito and all his friends.

"Why is she still alive?"

The comment made Radu snap his head up from the compupad he had been reading. He was alone in the room Clito had given him for their stay. Quickly, he switched the compupad to a typing program and focused all his attention on the conversation.

"She is not as easy to kill as I had expected. My price has just doubled."

"Doubled? For that price, I can hire someone else to kill her."

"But I'm already here, and I'm already close to her."

There was a faint sigh. Radu paused in his typing to try and identify the voices. One sounded familiar, but the other he was sure he had never heard before. 

"You're right, of course," the strange voice said. "I must speak with the Council before agreeing to anything."

"Then I might miss my chance," the familiar voice replied. "No more attempts on her life until I get your word that my price will be doubled."

"Attempts on her life? What about the alien in the air tubes? What was that?"

"A friend of hers. It hurts her to hurt them, so I thought I'd make her suffer before she dies."

"I'm not paying you to kill air-breathing aliens. Do what you're paid to do and nothing more."

"As you wish."

The conversation died off and Radu was left sitting in his room. He knew he had just heard a conversation between the assassin and his employer. Now the question remained, how did the assassin know they had left Starcademy and come here?

**********

Clito sat on her mother's throne, patiently listening to her two guests bicker. Minister Drenn sat to her left, yelling across the small table to Tanya. It had been three days into the peace talks and they had not yet identified the conflict. All they had established was that no one was happy with the current situation.

"That's enough!" Clito yelled. "I haven't invited you here to listen to you call each other childish names. We have a planet that needs to be united as one and we're the only three people who can do that without bloodshed. Now, do you want peace or not?"  
Drenn and Tanya stared at their hostess. They both nodded wordlessly. Clito exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and sat back in her chair.

"Now then," Clito began. "Tanya, why don't you start by telling us why the people are so angry?"

"We're poor, your Highness," Tanya said. "We haven't enough jobs and the silly feud between the two kingdoms has killed most of our able bodied youth. We want peace, jobs, and wealth."

As Tanya finished speaking, Radu and Harlan walked into the room. They had been talking quietly to each other, but Radu had broken off in mid-sentence when he heard Tanya's voice. He stared at her for a second and she turned around in her chair to stare back at him.

"Excuse me," Radu mumbled, turning around and leaving the room.

"What's wrong with your friend?" Tanya asked.

Harlan shrugged. "Be right back," he said, hurrying after his friend.

**********

"Radu, what's wrong?" Harlan asked. 

The Earther had finally found his friend in the glass room, surrounded by marine life. Catalina and Rosie had also seen Radu rush by and had followed him as well.

"That voice," Radu said, pacing on the glass floor. "I know that voice!"

"Are you okay?" Rosie asked.

Radu stopped his nervous pacing and turned to his friends.

"A few days ago, I was listening to the various conversations in the palace."

"Radu!" Catalina gasped, suddenly turning red. "You didn't hear anything from me, did you?"

Radu smiled. "Nothing harmful, Cat. Anyway, I stumbled across a conversation between our assassin and his employer. I thought I recognized the assassin's voice, but I'm not sure who it is. The employer is Tanya."

"Are you sure?" Catalina asked.

Radu nodded and licked his lips nervously. "I wrote down the entire conversation. The compupad is in my room. The assassin admitted to trying to kill me and Clito and Harlan. He knows we're here."

"That's impossible," Rosie said. "No one followed us from Starcademy or knew we came here."

"If Tanya's the employer," Cat said, "then I guess she had spies in the palace that knew Clito was coming. We're really not that important to Neptune's lasting peace."

"Then why try to kill us?" Harlan asked. 

"The assassin said he was trying to kill us to hurt Clito. That's why he destroyed the tube I was walking through and attacked you at Starcademy. It's also why he broke that branch in the biosphere," Radu said.

"We have to tell Clito," Rosie said.

Catalina shook her head. "It'll just worry her. We should get to the bottom of this as soon as possible."

The others agreed. They turned to leave the glass room, completely ignoring the eel that swam around the room, staring at them with his green eyes.

**********

Clito was a wreck. Almost two weeks had passed and they were not any closer to peace than they had been when her guests had first arrived. Drenn and Tanya simply refused to meet part way. To make matters worse, Clito couldn't understand the recent behaviour of her friends. Harlan never left Tanya alone, following her every minute of the day, and Catalina hovered protectively over Clito. 

To make matters worse, Ruben seemed to have disappeared without a trace, and the people who patiently waited for peace seemed to be on the verge of destroying the palace. Whatever was going on, Clito had faith in her friends and knew that she could trust them. With a sigh, Clito went back to reading over the recent agreement between the three leaders.

**********

Catalina left Clito alone in her room. There had been no more attempts on anyone's life since Radu had overheard the assassin's conversation and the increased security around both Clito and Tanya seemed to have scared him off. As Catalina rounded a corner, she bumped into Radu.

"Radu, what are you wearing?" Catalina asked.

"Sunglasses," Radu said. "Harlan gave them to me."

"Why? We're underwater. All the light is artificial down here and you can adjust it if it's hurting your eyes."

"It's not hurting my eyes," Radu replied. "I just felt like wearing sunglasses. Stop bothering me!"

Radu pushed by Catalina and kept walking down the hall. Cat watched him go, wondering what she had said to make him react so harshly.

**********

"Have you noticed that Radu's been acting really weird lately?" Cat remarked when she had found Harlan.

"I haven't seen him in a while," Harlan answered. "What did he do?"

"I asked him why he was wearing the sunglasses you gave him and he practically yelled at me."

"Sunglasses?" Harlan asked. "I didn't give him any sunglasses. Why would I?"

Catalina sat back in her chair. "If you didn't give him the sunglasses, why was he wearing them?"

"Maybe we should find him and ask him," Harlan decided.

**********

Catalina, Harlan, and Rosie searched the halls of Clito's palace for Radu. Cat had filled Rosie in on Radu's strange behaviour and Rosie couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he was sick again, like the time on the Christa. Before she could pursue the thought any farther, she heard a scream from down the hall.

"That sounds like it's from Clito's room," Harlan gasped. "Let's go!"

The trio took off at a run down the halls. They burst into Clito's room and saw Radu holding her by the neck.

"Radu!" Rosie gasped.

The Andromedan turned around and hissed angrily at them. He was still wearing the sunglasses and he seemed to be consumed with rage. He tossed Clito to one side and faced the new batch of enemies.

Harlan attacked first, trying to knock Radu off his feet. The Earther caught Radu in a flying tackle, but the Andromedan didn't fall. Instead, he dodged out of the way at the last moment, sending Harlan crashing into the wall.

"This will bring him to his knees," Catalina said.

The Saturnian released a sonic blast, but Radu didn't even wince. Instead he turned on Catalina, advancing slowly. Rosie blocked his path, slowly heating herself up. Radu had no choice but to back away. 

"Why didn't your blast work?" Rosie asked.

Catalina shrugged. "It was loud enough to bring an Andromedan to his knees."

Harlan jumped onto Radu's back, sending the Andromedan crashing to the floor. The sunglasses came off and Radu turned over to stare at his attacker. He had piercing green eyes.

"You're not Radu," Harlan cried. "Who are you?"

The Andromedan laughed and his form suddenly blurred. Harlan found himself wresting with Commander Goddard, yet the green eyed didn't change. The alien shifted through several other forms as the struggle grew until finally, he became Ruben.

"Ruben!" Rosie gasped. "You're the assassin?"  
Ruben smiled and pinned Harlan down on the ground. 

"Just doing what I'm paid to do, Rosie," Ruben said with an evil smile. "Nothing personal."

Suddenly, a vase came crashing down on Ruben's head. The shape shifter's eyes rolled into his head and he fell unconscious. Harlan pushed the assassin off of him and looked up at Clito, who still held the broken vase in her hand.

"I never really liked him that much anyway," Clito remarked.

"If Ruben was Radu, then . . . " Rosie began.

"Oh no!" Catalina gasped. "We have to find Radu!"

Clito called her guards and ordered a full-scale search of the palace. Ruben was taken to the dungeon in chains and Tanya was informed that Ruben had been discovered. 

**********

Harlan led his group of Neptunian guards through the east wing of the palace, toward the glass room. The found the glass doors sealed when they arrived and Harlan peered through them. He found Radu standing in the center of the room, up to his neck in water the slowly leaked from a hole in the floor of the room.

"We'll have to go around the outside," Harlan ordered the guards. "Bring an oxygen tank for Radu and remember he's heavy and can't swim."

The Neptunian guards nodded and went to get Radu. Minutes later, they brought him inside, soaking wet but unhurt.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Harlan asked.

"I really don't like water," Radu remarked. "When are we going back to space, where it's safe?"

Harlan laughed and helped his friend back to the throne room.

**********

"It's good to be home," Rosie said from her usual place under the tree in the biosphere.

"No kidding," Radu agreed as he leaned against the tree.

"When's Clito coming home?" Catalina asked.

"In a few weeks," Harlan replied. "Now that they've reached a peace agreement, Clito's mother is coming home to rule Atlantica with Clito's sister and word it being sent to Prince Protus, Princess Atalanta, and Prince Bran of Poseidonae. Protus is going to be crowned King in a few days."

"What happened to Tanya?" Radu asked.

"She's probably sharing a cozy little cell with Ruben," Catalina replied. "I think her days of planning assassinations are done."

"And everything can finally return to normal," Rosie replied.

"If you can consider everything we've done since joining Starcademy normal," Catalina added.

Harlan stretched and lay back against the tree. "You get used to it."


	11. Mind's Eye

MIND'S EYE

Radu paced around the dorm he shared with ten other boys from Starcademy. Lunch had already been served in the cafeteria, leaving the dorm deserted, save the distraught Andromedan. Radu closed his eyes and clenched his gloved hands into tight fists before allowing himself a small yell of frustration. Allowing his rage to run freely, Radu picked up a pillow and tore it to shreds. The white feathers were still slowly falling to the ground as Radu kicked a small stool against the wall, shattering it into pieces. Radu cried out again and sank to his knees.

He took deep, calming breaths. Blinking, he stared at the mess he had just made and then lowered his gaze to his shaking hands. He tried an old Andromedan mind relaxing technique he had learned as a child but found that it did no good. Falling from his knees to a sitting position, Radu stared at a face he saw through the open bathroom door. It was the face of a distraught Andromedan; his own reflection from the mirror.

"What's wrong with me?" Radu asked himself.

**********

Catalina slid into her normal seat at the cafeteria table. She pushed a stray lock of rainbow coloured hair behind her ear and looked cheerfully at the faces of her friends. Rosie sat across from her, absently melting a metal knife into liquid and picking at her food with a fork. Clito was beside the Mercurian, reading a compupad. Harlan was sitting next to Cat, wolfing down his food, but Radu was no where to be seen.

"Where's Radu?" Cat asked.

Harlan paused in his eating long enough to shrug. Rosie looked up and Catalina saw worry in her eyes.

"I think something's troubling him," Rosie said. "He won't talk about it to anyone, but he's been distant just lately."

Catalina put down her fork and gave Rosie a sympathetic look. Rosie was such a happy person, it was hard for anyone not to be cheered up by her infectious personality. 

"Maybe we should go talk to him," Harlan said. 

Clito shook her head. "I think we should give him the space he needs. When he wants to talk, he will. All we can do is be supportive of whatever he tries to do."

The cafeteria went silent and all eyes turned to the doors that had just opened. Rosie gasped and Catalina stared when they saw Radu in the doorway. His long hair was unusually messy and full of white feathers. He had dark circles under his eyes and his uniform was disorganized. His usual happy and slightly nervous look was gone from his eyes and was replaced with anger and frustration. 

He didn't say a word, but headed to the servery to get lunch. Every cadet in the room watched him move until he was out of sight.

"What happened to him?" Harlan asked.

"That's why I think something's wrong," Rosie said. "He's been strange for the past few days. Maybe we should talk to him."

"I think so," Catalina agreed.

When Radu came out of the servery with his food, he didn't come and sit with his friends like usual. Instead, he left the cafeteria.

"After him!" Catalina cried.

The space cases all stood to follow their friend.

**********

"Radu?" Rosie called.

They found their friend in an often deserted corner of the biosphere. Radu hid behind some bushes, eating his lunch in silence.

"Go away, Rosie," Radu said. "I don't want any company."

"Radu, we're worried," Catalina said, stepping through the bushes and into Radu's small clearing. "You haven't acted this weird since that time on the Christa when you were sick."

"Are you sick?" Rosie asked, her voice full of concern. 

"I'm not sick," Radu said harshly. "I just need some time alone. Please, go away."

Catalina and Rosie backed off but Harlan pushed his way past them to stand directly in front of Radu.

"Listen," Harlan said. "We're your friends and we want to help you. If something's bothering you, come out and say it."

In a flash, Radu was on his feet and holding Harlan by the front of his shirt, a foot off the ground. Rosie gasped in alarm and Catalina prepared herself for a sonic blast in case things got out of control.

"The only thing bothering me right now is you," Radu snarled. 

Harlan stared at his friend in fear. Radu closed his eyes and shook his head before gently lowering Harlan to the ground. The Andromedan took a deep breath and sat back down on the grass.

"I — There's something wrong," Radu said after a few minutes of tense silence. "I — I don't think I can control myself anymore."

"What do you mean?" Rosie asked, coming forward.

Radu looked up at her with tired eyes. "Andromedans are taught to always be in control of our strength and hearing. If we ever loose that control, we'd be a threat to everything around us. Sometimes, we . . . loose that control and go — "

"Insane?" Harlan supplied.

Radu smiled slightly. "I guess you could call it that. We become short tempered and agitated."

"What makes you loose control?" Rosie asked, her medical curiosity getting the better of her.

Radu shrugged. "Circumstances, I suppose."

"What can you do to get control again?"

Radu's eyes flared angrily. "I don't know!" he shouted.

Rosie backed away, her eyes wide with alarm. Radu stared after her as she hid behind Catalina. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. 

"You should all just stay away until I sort this out," Radu said. "I — I don't want to be responsible for hurting anyone."

Clito came forward and put her hand on Radu's shoulder. He stared at the ground and licked his lips. 

"I think I know someone you should see," Clito said quietly. "Her name is Dr. Williams, Starcademy's psychiatrist."

Radu looked up at his friend and nodded. Clito smiled at him and ushered the others out of the clearing, giving their friend time to think things over.

**********

"Radu, right?" 

Radu nodded. He sat in Dr. Williams' office in a comfortable wing back chair, looking more nervous than anything else. Dr. Williams was a middle-aged Earther woman of around forty, with short brown hair, gentle brown eyes, and a pleasant smile. She was fairly tall and kind of plump, but carried herself with a certain grace that made her seem comfortable to talk to.

"I'm Dr. Williams," she introduced herself. "Is there anything you want to know about me before we get started?"

Radu shook his head. Dr. Williams smiled at him and leaned forward in her chair.

"You know, it may be easier on both of us if you say something."

Radu smiled at her. "I — I'm sorry," he said. 

Dr. Williams sat back. "Good. Now we're making progress. I think I should tell you that I'm not very familiar with Andromedans, so you may have to explain a few things as we go along."

Radu nodded. "S — Sure."

"Okay. Why don't we start with why you think you need therapy?"

Radu looked down at his hands. "I think I'm loosing control of myself."

Dr. Williams nodded. "You feel frustrated all the time, occasionally lashing out at your friends in anger over stupid, little things?"

Radu raised his head. "Yeah," he said in surprise. "I was trained since I was a hatchling to control my strength and temper because if I ever lost my temper — "

"You would end up hurting something or someone."

"Exactly. That's why Andromedans are so peaceful. We're taught to restrain ourselves."

"So, lately you feel as if you're no longer able to restrain yourself?"

Radu nodded. "Our elders used to teach us that occasionally circumstances would arise to make us loose control, but that we would always be able to regain it. I — I think I've had too many circumstances to get control again."

"Why don't you tell me about the circumstances you're referring to. Go back as far as you need to," Dr. Williams said.

Radu nodded and licked his lips.

"Andromedans are born from eggs, with no knowledge of who our parents are," Radu began. "We're raised in a community of elders, with each elder pair contributing to our education. From birth, we're told what we're going to do to help our community. I was supposed to enter the priesthood, even though I don't really believe in our God. 

"Anyway, we're trained to manage our strength, endurance, and hearing. We're also taught that ideas are bad and can only lead to the destruction of our society. For as long as I can remember, I disagreed with that theory. I thought ideas were good."

**********

Radu 386 walked down the hallway of the Space Ark toward the small school. He was only about nine cycles old and already advancing quickly in his class. The recent war had wiped out most of the elders of his community, and the tentative peace between the Andromedans and the UPP was unstable and ready to collapse at any minute. Still, the education of the youngest members of the community had to continue and Radu 386 was forced to attend.

He entered the small room and took a seat by the door so the elder conducting that day's lessons wouldn't notice his tardiness. Radu 386 was sure the elder had noticed anyway. One thing he had realized in his nine short cycles of life was that elder Andromedans knew everything.

"In our lives, we will all come into contact with an alien civilization," the elder was saying. "Their worlds are much different from ours. Already, we have met the Earthers from the United Populated Planets and the treacherous Spung. When you meet an alien life, the first thing you will notice is the increase in noise. Earthers, for example, talk much louder than we do and the racket they have around them at all times can drive an Andromedan to distraction."

Radu 386 listened carefully. He didn't understand why his people were so concerned with Earthers. They hated his race because of the Spung. If anything, Radu 386 thought they should attack the Spung homeworld and wipe out their entire race.

"When talking to an Earther, it is important to concentrate your hearing to his voice only. Ignore the background distractions. Also, do not use your full strength on any alien you meet. Unless they are as strong as us, you will crush them. Understood?"

"Yes, elder," the class of young hatchlings echoed.

The elder smiled. "Excellent. It is the duty of Andromedans to be peaceful."

"Why?" Radu 386 called.

The elder's head snapped up and piercing blue eyes stared at the insolent youngster.

"Why should we allow ourselves to be walked all over by aliens like the Spung when we could crush them with one fist?" Radu 386 asked. "We could be peaceful, but I think we should at least be prepared to defend ourselves if we need to."

"It is not our way," the elder replied. "For centuries, the Andromedans have been peaceful and have never shown any signs of violence."

"Then the Spung came and now it's time to change, don't you think?" Radu 386 said.

The elder drew himself up to his full height. "Andromedans do not change, Radu 386. We are constant and true to our history. We are loyal and brave and respectful to our elders. Change brings destruction."  
"Change would destroy our society," the class echoed.

Radu 386 sighed. "I think new ideas would help us. We should learn from mistakes, not let them happen again and again."

The elder's eyes narrowed. "Leave, Radu 386. Report to the community Elder and see what she has to say about your ideas', and while you're there, you can explain why you were late for class again."

Radu 386 bowed his head respectfully and left the classroom.

**********

The community Elder was very old. She had gray hair that trailed down her back and into coils on the floor. Her skin was wrinkled and sagging, but her eyes were still quick and full of intelligence. Radu 386 stood in front of her with his eyes downcast, listening to her breathe. He had told her what the teacher-elder had told him to say and now awaited judgement.

"This is not the first report I've had about you, Radu 386," the Elder said. "Some elders have been complaining that you have been spreading ideas to the younger hatchlings. Are you encouraging anarchy, Radu 386?"

"No, Elder," Radu 386 replied. "I believe we can benefit from new ideas."

"Why risk something new when the old works just fine?" the Elder asked. 

Radu 386 said nothing. The community Elder sighed and tossed a compupad to the hatchling. "Read this," she said.

Radu 386's eyes scanned the message. "I - It's from the UPP, asking for a sign of allegiance."

The Elder nodded. "They want to make sure it's not a trick. They suggest sending one of our youths to their Starcademy to train to be a UPP officer."

Radu 386's eyes widened. "No . . "

"We can't have you spreading anarchy, Radu 386. I believe this will solve both our problems. We will be rid of our ideas and the UPP will have their sign."

"But, Elder, what about — "

"You have nothing here, hatchling. I don't believe you could be a contributing member of our community, once you leave the hatchery."

"You're asking me to leave everything I've ever known?"

"I'm not asking, Radu 386, I'm telling you. I've already forwarded the suggestion to Starcademy and you're enrolled in next term's classes, which begin next cycle. It'll be your tenth cycle; you would have to leave the hatchery anyway."

Radu 386 bowed his head respectfully and left the room. 

**********

"You managed to keep yourself in control after that situation?" Dr. Williams asked.

Radu nodded. "I was only nine cycles old."

"That was the first time you felt anger?" Dr. Williams asked.

Again, Radu nodded. "Yeah. It was the first time I had to restrain it. I was young and foolish. I understand now that what the Elder did was for the best."

"When was the next time you felt as if you were going to loose control?" Dr. Williams asked.

**********

The shuttle landed in the docking bay of Starcademy. The door hissed open and Radu 386 found himself awash with unfamiliar sounds. He remained immobile in the transport shuttle until he had adjusted his hearing to cope with the sounds. Slowly, he stood and disembarked.

The docking bay was full of shuttles and boxes of unclaimed cargo. As Radu 386 walked away from his transport, he heard the door slide closed.

"Transport 689 cleared for departure," someone yelled into a microphone.

Radu 386 was so startled by the sudden noise, he nearly dropped his small bag. He glanced around the room and saw a woman standing near the doorway. She waved at him and Radu 386 swallowed his fear. He headed towards her.

"Welcome to Starcademy," the woman said loudly. 

Radu 386 smiled weakly as he attempted to adjust his hearing again. The Space Ark hatchery had never been this loud!

"I'm Ms. Davenport," the woman said, "Assistant Principal here. We're happy to have you."

"Th — Thank you," Radu 386 said, unsure of how to respond to the introduction.

Ms. Davenport smiled. "Come along, we'll get you settled."

Radu 386 bowed his head respectfully and followed Ms. Davenport into the halls of Starcademy.

**********

Ms. Davenport led Radu 386 down the halls to a small, well-decorated office. The Earther woman sat down behind a desk and began to look for something on her desktop computer. Radu 386 sat down on a chair across from the desk, clutching his bag as if it were a comfort toy.

"Well, Radu," Ms. Davenport said. "I don't see any of your records here. I assume that your old school hasn't had time to forward them to us yet. Where did you go to school before?"

Radu 386 found he had a hard time concentrating on what Ms. Davenport was saying. The noises from the docking bay seemed to have followed them to the office, along with countless other sounds as well. 

"Um — I'm sorry, Ms. Davenport. What did you say?" Radu 386 said as politely as he could.

Ms. Davenport frowned. "Do you have any trouble hearing, Radu? I asked where you went to school before."

"N — No, I don't have trouble hearing," Radu 386 said, "a — and I didn't go to school before."

"Really? You look about eighteen years old. That would mean that you've been in school for a good fifteen years."

"I — I'm sorry, Ms. Davenport," Radu 386 said. "I'm only ten cycles."

"No matter," Ms. Davenport said, obviously ignoring her newest cadet. "We'll get you a bunk and a uniform. I've taken the liberty of preparing a schedule for you. Not too difficult, I hope. If you have any problems, come and see me."

The door to Ms. Davenport's office slid open and a young girl came in. Radu 386 turned to see her and was surprised to see she had pink skin and a large helmet of some sort on her head.

"You wanted to see me, Ms. Davenport?" the girl said with a large smile on her face.

"Yes, Rosie," Ms. Davenport said, smiling as well. "This is Radu, our newest cadet. Could you please show him around? Classes begin tomorrow and I want to make sure he knows where everything is."

"Sure," Rosie said. She walked over to where Radu 386 was sitting. "Hi, I'm Rosie."

Radu 386 smiled. 

"Oh, one more thing," Ms. Davenport said. She reached into her desk and pulled out a pair of gloves. "The UPP has asked that you wear these gloves at all times. They have small inertial dampners in the palms to make sure you don't accidentally squeeze something too hard. We're all aware of your strength and we don't want any unpleasant accidents."

Radu 386 picked up the gloves and looked at them strangely.

"It's not that bad," Rosie said. "I have to wear gloves too, but I wear them so I don't accidentally burn things."

Radu 386 had put the gloves on while Rosie was talking and he flexed his fingers experimentally.

"Well, now, off you two go," Ms. Davenport said. 

Radu bowed respectfully and left the office after Rosie.

**********

Rosie led the way down the halls, cheerfully pointing out everything as they went. Radu 386 found he liked the pink girl's optimism and even found himself unconsciously tuning out the sounds of the school to listen to her more closely.

"And this is the biosphere," Rosie said. "On days like today when there are no classes, most of the cadets like to go here and hang out."

Radu nodded. "C — Can I ask you a question, Rosie?" he said.

"Sure," Rosie replied cheerfully.

"Y — You're not an Earther, are you?"

Rosie laughed. "No, I'm Mercurian, from Mercury."

"Is that why your skin is pink?" Radu asked.

Rosie nodded. "Yep. I can also control heat and spit fire balls. It's kinda neat."

Radu licked his lips and smiled. "C — Can I ask you something else?" 

Rosie nodded.

"D — Do you think the cadets here will hate me?"

"You mean because of the war?" Rosie blinked. "I'm not sure. I know a few Earthers will be sore because they lost family members in the fight." Rosie's eyes grew wider. "Oh! There's someone you absolutely have to stay away from."

"Who's that?" Radu asked.

"Hey, Andromedan," a voice from the other end of the hall yelled.

"Uh oh," Rosie said. "Too late."

Radu looked down the hall and saw a dark skinned Earther staring at him with hate filled eyes. Radu could hear the Earther's heart pounding and he licked his lips nervously.

"That's Harlan Band," Rosie said. "He's really angry at all Andromedans. One of them killed his father in the war."

Radu felt his heart sink. He had wanted to fit in, but now realized that with people like Harlan Band around, it would be next to impossible.

"What should I do?" Radu asked.

Rosie shrugged. "I hope you don't bruise easily. Harlan likes to beat his anger out of people."

"Bruise?" Radu asked. "What is — "

"What are you doing here?" Harlan Band interrupted as he neared the nervous Andromedan. "I thought we kicked your butt back on the battle field."

Radu said nothing.

"What's your name, Andromedan?" Harlan demanded.

"R — Radu," came the reply.

"Well, R — Radu," Harlan said in a mocking tone. "You just made a serious enemy."

Harlan raised his fist and struck Radu full force in the stomach. The Andromedan didn't even wince. Harlan massaged his sore hand and stared defiantly into Radu's eyes.

"Watch your back, Andromedan," Harlan said before turning and going into the biosphere.

From his sides, Radu slowly unclenched his gloved hands.

**********

"It must have been difficult to keep from hitting him," Dr. Williams observed.

Radu stared at his hands. "I knew I could have killed him right there, or at least made him fear me for the rest of his life, but I managed to stay in control. He hated me so much, I still don't understand why."

"But you stayed in control," Dr. Williams said. "Your Andromedan teachings went farther than you thought."

Radu nodded. "I know and I'm glad for it. Harlan is a good friend of mine now."

"Keep going," Dr. Williams said.

**********

The term progressed slowly for Radu. He found that Rosie remained a true friend, but all the other cadets of Starcademy were hostile towards him. The Earthers, under the leadership of Harlan Band, made Radu's time out of class almost unbearable, yet the Andromedan persevered. Radu found himself homesick for the hatchery he had been forced to leave. Although he had not been accepted there either, he felt that he had belonged.

At the end of the term, Radu was called down to Ms. Davenport's office. As the assistant principal reviewed Radu's file, the Andromedan licked his lips nervously and scanned the surrounding rooms for interesting sounds. Scanning had become another habit of his; when people were bothering or teasing him, he would fine a more agreeable conversation and pretend the person was talking to him. He hadn't mentioned this habit to anyone — not even Rosie for fear of further ridicule.

"Well, Mr. Radu," Ms. Davenport said after several minutes. "I had hoped for a better result from you. Your marks are terribly unimpressive."

Radu said nothing. He braced himself for the worst; to be sent somewhere else, like what his own people had done to him when he had not met their expectations.

"I'm afraid I have no other choice but to send you to the — underachiever class. There are several other students there as well, I believe your friend Rosie is among them. You will be spending the next term with them," Ms. Davenport decided.

Radu smiled to himself. Although he did not fit into this school, he did not want to be sent away again. 

"Yes, Ms. Davenport," Radu agreed, bowing his head respectfully.

**********

When the second term began, Radu headed for the small class of failing Starcademy cadets — what the other cadets referred to as the space cases'. Radu was nervous and remained silent, despite the slight comfort he took in knowing that Rosie was going to be there with him. Taking a deep breath, he entered the room.

The teacher hadn't arrived yet, but several of the students were already in their places. To his right, Radu saw a girl with rainbow coloured hair sitting to his right, obviously having a conversation with someone. Radu found he couldn't see or hear the girl's friend and he frowned to himself. Sitting behind the rainbow haired girl was Rosie and the Mercurian waved brightly to her friend. Radu gave her a half smile and kept scanning the room. On the left of the room was a boy from a race alien to him. The boy had black hair and dark skin with two antennae sticking up from his forehead. The boy had a dour expression on his face, the exact opposite of Rosie. Radu moved to take the empty seat in front of the rainbow girl.

"Someone's sitting there," she told him.

Thinking that the someone was the non-existent person the girl was talking to, Radu move to the other side of the room and sat in front of the dour boy. A few minutes later, Ms. Davenport walked in, holding a compupad in her hand. As she stood in front of the class, looking at everyone's faces, someone else came into the room. Radu's heart sank as he remembered the Earther from their encounter in the hall — it was Harlan Band.

Ms. Davenport didn't waste another second as Harlan entered the room and sat in front of the rainbow haired girl.

"Harlan Band from Earth," she said, her eyes on the compupad.

"Ms. Davenport, you can see we're all here, why even bother taking attendance?" Harlan asked, looking unamused.

Ms. Davenport raised her eyes to look coolly at Harlan. "As assistant principal, I believe in regulations and procedure, Mr. Band," Ms Davenport said. "If you added those to words to your vocabulary, you could — "

"Double it?" the rainbow haired girl said with a smile.

Harlan made a face at her and Ms. Davenport resumed with her attendance.

"Harlan Band from Earth, check. Catalina from Saturn, check." 

"Oh! Suzee's here too," the rainbow girl called Catalina said.

"Oh joy, your imaginary friend's here, too," Ms. Davenport said sarcastically.

Harlan laughed at the girl as Ms. Davenport continued her tour of the small room. Catalina looked ashamed of herself and Radu found he felt sorry for the girl.

"Rosie Ianni from Mercury colony, check," Ms. Davenport continued.

"Good morning, Ms. Davenport," Rosie said cheerfully.

Ms. Davenport smiled warmly at the cadet and pushed another button on her compupad. She turned to the dour faced boy.

"Bova from — " she began.

"Don't say it," Bova whispered pleadingly to himself.

"Uranus."

" I hate being from Uranus," Bova muttered. "I'm the butt of every joke."

Ms. Davenport completed her circle of the class by looking at Radu.

"And Radu from Andromeda. Mr. Radu, I admit I had particularly high hopes for you being our first Andromedan here at Starcademy."

Radu lowered his eyes respectfully as Ms. Davenport continued the lecture.

"I had hopes for you all, really," she said, addressing the rest of the space cases' as well.

From where he sat, Radu could feel Harlan's hatred concentrated on him. Radu stared at Ms. Davenport, refusing to give Harlan the satisfaction of knowing how nervous he felt.

**********

"That must have been embarrassing," Dr. Williams said, "having the teacher express her disapproval of you in front of everyone."

Radu nodded. "It wasn't that bad since she told everyone how upset she was, but she started with me. I — I know she didn't mean it, but it angered me and made me ashamed of what I had done."

"Did Harlan say anything else to you that day?"  
Radu nodded again. "Yeah, after we snuck onto the Christa. He told me he didn't like Andromedans. He didn't say why, though."

Dr. Williams made a few more notes on her compupad. "Any other times Harlan has embarrassed you or made you angry? During your stay on the Christa, perhaps?"

Radu squirmed in his seat a bit. "Um, a few times, actually. He once told me he wanted to be alone because I was a clutz or a nuisance or something, that was right before he disappeared — literally - and I saved him. There was another time when it was Bova's birthday and everyone was doing a project on their family trees and I had no family, so I made something up to impress Harlan, hoping he would give me a break, but it backfired in my face and I ended up looking stupid in front of everyone. Catalina was really helpful, though. She tried to get Harlan to leave me alone, but he didn't really stop until Suzee came along."

Dr. Williams looked up in surprise. "Until who came along?"

"Suzee, Catalina's invisible friend."

Dr. Williams smiled to herself. "I've been trying to get Catalina into therapy for a very long time now because of her imaginary friend. I had no idea she was real."  
Radu shrugged. "Suzee's real all right. She's just from another dimension. I've been to Yensid once. It's a pretty nice place."

Dr. Williams laughed. "I'm glad Catalina's not suffering from some psychiatric disorder, then. Is there anything else you would like to go over? What happened after you returned home from the Christa?"

Radu shrugged. "I wasn't really angry when we got back. Harlan and I had been getting along pretty well then."

**********

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall," Harlan sang. "Ninety-nine bottles of beer — "

Radu came down the jumptubes and into the command post. He had been in the engine room with Suzee when he heard a horrific noise from the command post.

"Harlan, what's going on?" Radu asked, expecting the worst.

Harlan was leaning on the helm with his head resting on one hand, singing. Radu smiled and shook his head.

"Hey, Radu," Harlan said. "What's up?"

"N — Nothing," Radu said, obviously confused. "Are you okay?"

"I'm very, very bored," Harlan said. "I hate compost duty, especially when nothing happens."

"I heard you singing and I thought something was wrong," Radu said sheepishly. "You sing horribly."

Harlan laughed. "I know. It's an awful song, too."

Radu smiled and went to his post at navigation. He quickly did a scan of their co-ordinates.

"Harlan," he said, "we've drifted off course. Take her back about 5 degrees."

Harlan moved the ship and sighed. "How much longer until it's Suzee's turn up here?"

"She's not taking a shift today," Radu said. "The Commander has her working in the engine room. Apparently, she's figured out how to get even more power into the solar sails."

Harlan rolled his eyes. "I bet she has no idea what's going on. She just says she does in order to get out of doing work."

Radu shrugged. "It looks to me like she's doing something down there. I was helping her until I came up here to see what you were killing."

Harlan smiled and turned to his friend. "Killing? I'd like to hear you sing better."

Radu blushed. "Uh, maybe killing' was too strong a word."

Harlan shrugged. "Probably not. I'm a fighter, not a singer."

"Obviously."

They had been on their journey for three years with no end in sight. Each of them expected another four years at least before reaching familiar space again, but no one thought about it. They lived for the moment, enjoying their freedom.

The jumptubes whistled and Suzee came flying into the compost. She smiled at the two boys and headed to the engineering console.

"Engines are now at almost 130% efficiency," Suzee reported. "I think that's all I can do right now."

"Great, so you're going to take over here?" Harlan asked.

Suzee smiled at him. "Not yet, Harlan. You still have another two hours before your shift is done. Radu and I are going to the teamroom for a little game of brains versus brawn."

Radu blushed again and Harlan gave his friend an angry look. Despite their tentative friendship, Harlan was still jealous of the amount of attention Suzee had been giving Radu. Radu was afraid Harlan would revert to his Andromedan-hating ways.

"Coming?" Suzee asked from the door.

Radu left his post, feeling Harlan's eyes boring into his back. He hated it when Harlan was mad, but Suzee had asked him to play and Harlan wasn't the only guy on the ship. Without turning back, Radu knew Harlan was still glaring at him as the doors slid shut.

**********

"So Harlan is jealous of you?" Dr. Williams asked.

"I think so," Radu said. "Rosie had told me once that Suzee liked me more than Harlan, so I guess I tried to spend every free time I could with her. I — I liked her too."

"What about the Spung girl? The one who was a student here before the Invasion?"

"Elmira?" Radu felt himself blush. "Elmira and I have something deeper than whatever I felt towards Suzee. M — maybe I was just glad to have something Harlan didn't."

Dr. Williams said nothing. She just nodded and motioned for Radu to continue with his story.

**********

Days later, the entire crew of the Christa was in the compost. Commander Goddard had Harlan flying emergency maneuvers incase the Spung showed up again.

"Commander," Thelma said.

"Yes, Thelma?" Goddard asked.

"I'm detecting a large spatial distortion opening up a short distance away from our starboard hull," the android said.

Goddard stared at her for a second. "Screen on," he said.

At first, the screen showed nothing but empty space. Commander Goddard's eyes scanned the area shown on the screen for any signs of the white circle.

"There's nothing there!" Ms. Davenport remarked.

Suddenly, the emptiness exploded into a large cylinder shaped tube. It seemed to be made of swirling gases and something came out.

"It's a worm hole," Goddard breathed.

"Commander, I'm picking up a ship," Rosie said. "It's hailing us."

"Let's hear it," Goddard said.

"This is Captain Mayfair of the UPP ship _Intrepid_. Do you read me, alien vessel?"

"Did he say UPP ship?" Harlan asked.

"We're saved!" Ms. Davenport gasped.

Everyone let out a cheer except for Suzee, who appeared rather disappointed.

"UPP ship _Intrepid_, this is Commander Seth Goddard," the Commander said.

"Seth, welcome home! Everyone's been wondering where you and your class had disappeared to," Captain Mayfair said. "I'll bet you're anxious to get home. Stay there and we'll meet you."

**********

Harlan and Radu sat in their bunkroom, looking at everything around them. This had been their home for the past three years.

"We're going home," Harlan said, scarcely believing it.

"Yeah," Radu said. "Do you think we'll be in trouble?"

Harlan laughed. "Probably, but what can they do?"

Radu smiled. They sat in silence for several more minutes before Radu dared to speak again. "What about Suzee?"

Harlan didn't say anything. Thinking he hadn't heard, Radu was about to repeat his question when Harlan answered.

"I guess we'll have to figure out how to get her back on Yensid, and bring Catalina home."

"I guess so," Radu said.

"It's too bad," Harlan continued. "I would have liked to kiss Suzee for real just once before she leaves."

Radu stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"When I kissed her before, she didn't kiss back. Then, she turned and kissed you."

Radu said nothing. Harlan rose to his feet and began to pace around the bunkroom. Although Harlan stayed quiet, Radu knew that he was working himself into a fury.

"You know, Radu? You've got it all. Suzee loves you, Elmira loves you, Rosie loves you, and I'll bet even Cat loves you. For some reason, every girl in the universe is attracted to you. What does that leave me? Bova?"

Radu lowered his head and didn't see the punch that came flying towards his unprotected jaw. Radu's head flipped backwards, more out of surprise than pain and he stared at Harlan.

"What'd you do that for?" Radu asked.

"You're perfect!" Harlan said. "You're perfect and it kills me that you can't see that! You've got your super strength and your super ears and what do I have?"

"You've got confidence," Radu said. "You've got charm, you can be decent when you put your mind to it, and you've got more friends that I'll ever have."

"So what?" Harlan said. "What will that ever do for me?"

Before Radu could reply, Suzee came into the room. Harlan was fuming and staring defiantly at Radu. Radu was still sitting on the bed, his eyes on Harlan.

"What's going on?" Suzee demanded.

"Nothing," Radu muttered.

"You wouldn't understand," Harlan said.

Suzee eyed each of them. "Well, we have to be in the compost now. We're going through the worm hole."

**********

Radu was near tears. Dr. Williams comforted him as best she could, allowing the Andromedan time to gather his thoughts and calm himself.

"What that the last fight you and Harlan had?" she asked after several minutes.

Radu shook his head. "N — No. We've fought after that. That was the last serious fight, though."

Dr. Williams nodded. "Well, I know everything you've gone through since returning here, even that stint with the War Chant on the planetary moon."

Radu raised his head quickly. Dr. Williams smiled. 

"Don't worry — I won't tell. The only thing I can think of is for you to relax. Go on a vacation and get away from all your circumstances'. Once you're relaxed, you'll feel more in control. You're under stress, Radu."

"How can I relieve the stress?" Radu asked.

"Talk to someone, like you just did to me. Do you feel better?" Dr. Williams asked.

Radu nodded. 

"My door is always open if you need someone to talk to," she said. "I'll talk to Principal Ravenshire and see about getting you a week or two off. Have you any idea where you'd like to go?"  
Radu could only picture one destination. He smiled. "I think I do."

**********

The transport set down at the space station and Radu came out, holding a small bag of clothing. He took a deep breath and at once felt the silence of the planet. As the transport lifted off again, Radu turned and saw the people he would be staying with for the next few weeks.

"Welcome home, my son," Udar said warmly.

Radu ran to his embrace, kissing his mother and sister. Together, the complete Andromedan family piled into the hovercar and left for the settlement of New Andromeda.


	12. Into Thin Air

INTO THIN AIR

Rosie raced down the near empty halls of Starcademy. Classes were in session, but Rosie had decided not to attend her Planetary Medicine class in order to meet someone very special. She glowed with excitement as the docking bay drew nearer and, as she sped around a sharp corner, nearly burned the person she ran into.

"Hey, watch it," Harlan exclaimed. "You're going to set the school on fire."

"Sorry," Rosie said. She grinned happily at her friend and Harlan could not help but smile back. It had been quite a while since Rosie had been this happy.

"When's he due?" Harlan asked.

"Any minute now," Rosie said.

Harlan walked quickly down the hall with Rosie and the Mercurian found herself wishing he would hurry up. Finally, they arrived at the docking bay entrance. Everyone else was already there.

"I could feel you coming a mile away," Catalina told Rosie. "You'd better calm down or you'll overheat."

Rosie took deep, calming breaths and tried to lower her temperature. Catalina seemed relieved and they entered the docking bay. Ahead of them was a huge transport. Rosie waited impatiently as the passengers slowly disembarked. She rose to her tip toes to see over the heads of the people until she finally found a familiar face.

"Bova!" she cried joyously.

The Uranusian looked up in time to see Rosie flying towards him. A surprised expression flew onto his face as the Mercurian threw herself in his arms. As they stood hugging each other, Bova smiled.

"Hi, Rosie," he said.

"Hi, Bova," Rosie replied, suddenly shy.

Bova headed over to where the others stood. Harlan, Catalina, Radu, and Clito all seemed pleased to have the pessimistic Uranusian back from his long year away.

"C'mon," Bova said. "It's not like you've never seen me before."

"We're just glad you're home," Catalina said, speaking for the group.

Bova smiled and nodded. "I'm glad I'm home too."

**********

As classes emptied into the halls, Radu noticed that there were not as many cadets as usual. Normally, his head rang with the noise generated by thousands of students changing classes, but today it seemed nothing more than a dull roar. With a shrug, Radu dismissed the feeling. 

"So, what has everyone been up to in the past year?" Bova asked as they ate lunch.

"I told you all about it in my letters," Rosie said. "Didn't you get them?"

Bova looked up from his food and into Rosie's eyes. They were suddenly filled with sadness, which made Bova swallow hard.

"Uh, of course I did, Rosie," Bova replied. "I just wanted to hear it from everyone else."

Rosie looked dubious, but accepted Bova's story. 

"Well, we went to Neptune," Harlan began.

"Found out Clito's a princess," Catalina added.

"Saved my kingdom from destruction," Clito said.

"And I nearly lost my mind and went home for a few weeks," Radu finished. "That's about it."

"Pretty dull, huh?" Harlan smiled.

Bova smiled back. "Yeah, that's about as dull as we seem to get."

Catalina looked around the cafeteria. There were several empty tables that normally were full. She turned back to her friends.

"Has anyone else noticed that there aren't as many cadets around today as usual?" she asked.

Radu nodded, but said nothing. Harlan shrugged. "They probably went home. It's almost time for mid-semester break, you know."

"Not for another week," Clito reminded him. 

"Is there a virus going around?" Rosie asked. "Maybe everyone's out sick."

"It's possible," Catalina said. "Oh well. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. The teachers would have said something, wouldn't they?"

Everyone exchanged a look of uncertainty. Bova polished off his plate of food and looked at Harlan imploringly.

"Are you going to eat that?" he asked.

**********

"This is unthinkable!" Ms. Davenport exclaimed.

"Calm yourself, Theresa," Principal Ravenshire ordered. "You're starting to annoy me with your whining."

Most of the teachers of Starcademy were gathered in the meeting room to discuss the sudden, unexplainable drop in the student population. Principal Ravenshire had noticed it for weeks now, with no idea where the missing cadets had gone. She had ordered the faculty to remain calm and treat the situation as if it didn't exist until they figured something out.

"The best thing for us to do is keep things as normal as possible," Ravenshire continued after Ms. Davenport had sat back down. "We do not want to alarm the rest of the student body."

"According to my calculations, the rest of the student body will be gone in a little over a month, unless we stop this now," Professor Oakly said.

Seth Goddard slammed his fist down on the long table. The other teachers jumped.

"That settles it. Let's take action," he said.

"And what do you propose we do?" Ravenshire demanded.

"Prep a few student and give them communication badges so we can keep track of them. When they disappear, we'll be able to find them and rescue the other cadets," Goddard said.

"You're suggesting we put more of our students at risk?" Ravenshire said.

Goddard shrugged. "They're going to disappear anyway. We might as well prepare them."

"I agree with Mr. Goddard's suggestion," Ms. Davenport said from her seat. "We can ask for volunteers of the remaining cadets. I believe two or three should be enough."

Ravenshire laughed. "Who would be foolish enough to agree to a risky plan like that?"

Goddard and Davenport exchanged a knowing look. "I think we'll be able to find a few, Madam," Davenport replied.

**********

Radu looked around his diplomacy class. Over half the seats were empty, yet the teacher continued her planned lesson without even questioning the disappearances. Radu knew something strange was going on.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the days classes. Radu left the room in a hurry and headed for the biosphere where he normally met the others. As he walked through the synthetic landscaping, he saw something odd out of the corner of his eye. Pausing for a moment, he witnessed the disappearance of one of the cadets. The student was walking down the path one moment, then he completely vanished without a trace. Radu blinked in surprise and went over to examine where the boy had been only second before. As he stepped forward, he felt slightly nauseous as the biosphere began to waver out of focus. As he felt himself vanish, he quickly punched some buttons on his compupad and threw it to the ground. A split second later, the compupad was all that remained.

**********

Harlan jogged through the biosphere. Although he was usually the first person out of class, his teacher had wanted to speak to him about his grade. Now he was several minutes late for his daily meeting with his friends.

As he ran, he spotted a compupad lying in the middle of the path leading to the tree where the space cases always met. Curiosity getting the better of him, Harlan slowed and picked it up. He noticed right away that it was Radu's, since his name and picture were displayed in the top right hand corner. He also saw an active file and he quickly brought it to the screen.

****

GONE — POOF!

Harlan stared at the message. He looked around for his friend and, when he didn't see him, he headed for the tree.

Catalina, Clito, Rosie, and Bova were already there. Harlan sat next to Cat, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and handed her the compupad.

"Radu dropped this. Where is he?" Harlan said.

"I don't know," Catalina replied. "He hasn't shown up yet." She glanced at the message on the screen. "What does this mean?"

"I have no idea," Harlan said, taking the compupad back from Cat, "but I think I'll hang onto this until Radu comes looking for it."

**********

Radu opened his eyes and groaned. He felt disoriented by the trip and found the room spun and wavered in and out of focus. He sat up quickly and just as quickly decided that it was a bad idea. Blinking rapidly, he managed to regain control of his vision and he looked around.

He was in some kind of cell, with a small, barred door and solid walls on the other three sides. Outside the door was an empty hallway that was poorly lit. Radu looked up and found he had no room to stand, only sit or lie down straight. He was reminded of the prison of the Luff where Catalina had been held and wondered what was going on.

The door creaked open on rusty hinges and Radu winced. A non-human hand came into the cell and deposited a strange glob on the ground. It was a faded yellow, and Radu found it reminded him of one of Harlan's favourite snacks — Jell-o. The door slammed shut. Tentatively, Radu poked the yellow blob and it quickly latched onto his finger. Radu reflexively jerked backwards and the blob engulfed his arm up to his elbow. The Andromedan shook his arm, trying to get the thing off his arm, but the more he moved, the more the blob consumed him. Soon, the yellow glob was around his neck and spreading quickly down his torso. Suddenly, Radu found himself very sleepy as the yellow goo spread up his neck and over his face. Radu began to feel warm and comfortable as he lay down and fell asleep. The yellow blob spread over his other arm, down his legs, and finally stopped when it had taken over Radu's entire body.

**********

"Students," Principal Ravenshire announced to the assembled cadets. "We are looking for two brave volunteers to willingly put themselves in the hands of the enemy and perhaps not return home alive."

Harlan stood before the principal had finished her speech. Beside him, Catalina also rose as the principal stared in shock. Seated behind her, Commander Goddard grinned and nodded approvingly. 

"It appears we have found our volunteers," Ravenshire said. "Thank you, now return to class."

The remaining cadets groaned and slowly, the auditorium emptied out. Harlan and Cat remained where they were as Rosie, Bova, and Clito wished them good luck. Principal Ravenshire motioned for them to come closer.

"We have a great deal to explain," she said, "and I'm afraid there's not much time. Mr. Goddard said you two would volunteer and I'm proud that you did."

Harlan stood proudly and Catalina smiled. Principal Ravenshire led them back to her office, where they sat in front of her large desk. Ravenshire sat and began to explain.

"About two weeks ago, we noticed that cadets at Starcademy were disappearing without a trace," the principal began. "They would be walking down the halls, sitting with friends, or even sleeping when all of a sudden — poof! — the were gone. The faculty and I have discussed it and we've decided to equip you two with communications devices and hope you get taken soon. We need to end this, soon."

"We're bait?" Catalina asked.

Ravenshire nodded. "You will be monitored at all times, of course. Your mission is to find out where the cadets are, who has taken them, and you must bring them back here."

"How do we get back?" Cat questioned.

"Once we've used your communication badges to discover where you are, transports will be sent to bring you home as well as troops to apprehend the kidnappers."

Cat considered the mission and nodded grimly. She turned to Harlan, who was staring off into space. She frowned and elbowed him hard in the ribs. With a startled grunt, Harlan was brought back to reality.

"Huh? What?" he said.

"Do you accept the mission, Mr. Band?" Ravenshire asked.

"Uh, yeah . . sure I do. What did you say before, Principal Ravenshire? About poof?"

"I said that all of a sudden - poof! - the students were gone,"  
"Gone — poof!" Harlan mused. "Like Radu's compupad! He was trying to tell us that he'd been kidnapped!"

Catalina gasped and Harlan stared at her in shock. His face became a unreadable mask as he turned back to the Principal.

"When do we leave?" he asked.

**********

Harlan and Catalina sat in the biosphere, away from the other cadets. They each wore a communications badge and had a small blaster gun hidden in their uniforms. They felt as prepared as they would ever be and they calmly waited for the unknown force to take them. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long.

**********

Harlan rubbed his eyes and shook the last of the nausea out of his system. The translocation from Starcademy to wherever he was now had not been pleasant. He quickly surveyed his surroundings. 

He was in a small cage with three solid, windowless walls and one small barred door. The cage provided him with enough room to sit up or lie down, but not to stand. Carefully, Harlan crawled to the door and peered out.

He appeared to be in a ship and, as he tilted his head up, he could clearly make out the piping and wiring on the ceiling. All around him were other box-like cages stacked on top of each other. Quickly, Harlan counted and saw that he was in the third of six rows, each ten cages long. Below him was a grated walk way that looked like the prison Luff the Christa had visited so long ago. Harlan patted his uniform jacket and felt the familiar shape of the blaster. He turned on his communicator and prayed that Starcademy was picking up the signal. The door opened and Harlan found himself being pushed back by a non-human hand. Another hand quickly entered the cage and deposited a Jell-o like substance on the ground before slamming the door closed again. Harlan stared at the blob, and quietly took out his blaster. The blob sat motionless for a moment before leaping itself at Harlan's face. Harlan cried out in surprise and almost dropped the blaster before a feeling of peace came over him. He stopped struggling and settled in to sleep as the yellow ooze consumed him, his blaster still in hand.

**********

"Wake up, sleepy head."

Harlan opened his eyes and saw the familiar face of his mother. She was exactly as he remembered her from his childhood. Mrs. Band had short, black hair that curled to touch her chin and deep brown eyes. She wore light gray pants and a sweat shirt as she woke her only child up.

"I don't wanna get up," Harlan moaned.

"Come on, sweety," Mrs. Band said. "Your father wants to go outside and play catch with you."

Harlan sat up quickly and his mother smiled. "That's my boy. Now, hurry up, or he'll leave without you."

Harlan looked around his room. It was exactly as it had been when he was six years old. He heard his mother call again, and he left the safety of his bed and headed down stairs. 

"Are you hungry, son?" he heard his father ask.

"No," Harlan replied. "Let's go play."

His father smiled warmly and took Harlan's hand. Harlan smiled back as he remembered this part of his life. It had been only days before his father had been killed, right after he had left his family after a few days of vacation. Harlan found himself wondering how this was possible. He tossed the ball with his father for what felt only like seconds, but was really hours before they headed home for lunch. Harlan slid into the table, beside his father, and looked down at his plate. Suddenly, he felt his stomach knot.

"Something wrong, honey?" his mother asked.

"It's Jell-o," Harlan whispered. "Yellow, like that thing"

"What thing?" Mr. Band asked.

"The thing in the cage, where I really am right now, aren't I?" Harlan asked. His parents suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Tell me the truth! You aren't real."

"But you're so happy, darling," Mrs. Band said. "Think before you act."

"There's nothing to think about," Harlan replied. "I don't know what's going on here, but I have to find Catalina, Radu, and the rest of the cadets before we're all gone."

**********

Back in the cage, Harlan pulled the trigger on the blaster he still held. The yellow blob squealed in pain before shattering into tiny pieces. Harlan sat up, gasping for air. He blinked and wiped the yellow ooze off his face. Fingering his blaster, he shot the lock, opened the door, and looked out.

The drop to the floor was steep. Looking both ways, Harlan saw no aliens or guards of any kind. Putting the blaster back in his jacket, he began to climb down the cages to the ground. Each cage he passed contained an alien life fore encased in the yellow blob. Some were recognizable species; others he had never seen before in his life. He hit the floor and lowered himself into a defensive crouch. Once again, no aliens were to be seen. He rose again and gasped. Turning a full circle, Harlan saw thousands of cages. 

"Oh, man," Harlan sighed. "This is gonna take forever."

**********

Rosie and Bova sat quietly together in the biosphere. Rosie was completing her homework, while Bova watched the cadets walk by. Finally, Rosie raised her head and regarded the Uranusian.

"Why did you come back?" she asked.

Bova turned to her in surprise. "I thought I told you."

"Your letter wasn't very specific," Rosie reminded him. "You just said that things weren't working out at the other school and you missed me."

Bova shrugged. "What more did you want?"

"What happened to make things not work out?"

Bova sighed and stared out into the biosphere. It had been almost a week since Harlan and Catalina had vanished — nearly two weeks since Radu's disappearance. Clito had left Starcademy at the insistence of her mother and sister; she was the Crown Princess of Atlantica, after all. Feeling alone and slightly uncomfortable at being thrust together, Rosie and Bova hadn't said much to each other until now.

"Well," Bova began, "the school my parents enrolled me into was pretty basic, and things started to get boring. There weren't any adventures, like we always have here."

"Getting used to living in the fast lane?" Rosie asked with a smile.

Surprisingly, Bova smiled back. "Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I'll drop out of Starcademy and take up space piracy."

"Don't even thing about it," Rosie laughed. "Why else did you leave?"

Bova looked down and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, uh . . . the truth is, I, um, thought everyone was, well, too depressing."

Rosie burst out laughing. "Too depressing? A school full of Uranusians? You're kidding!"

Bova laughed as well, and Rosie couldn't remember the last time he had. "I know. I guess I started looking for the sunny side of the street."

He took a hold of Rosie's hand. 

"And I have you to thank for it," he said softly.

**********

Harlan hid in a narrow alleyway between two sets of cages as a robot flew by. He exhaled softly, thankful that the guard hadn't seen him. Quietly, he snuck back into the corridor and kept searching. 

Suddenly, the quietness was pierced by a loud, shrill, siren. 

"Warning, prisoner escape," a voice shouted through the ship. 

Harlan wondered why he could understand the alien language. He glanced down at his communications badge and understood. He remembered Commander Goddard saying something about the badge doubling as a translator for all known alien languages. Harlan felt slightly relieved; if he could understand the translation, at least it was a known alien that had kidnapped them.

A blaster shot from behind him caused Harlan to duck back into the alleyway. Catalina was the only other prisoner who could have escaped, Harlan surmised. He saw someone running down the corridor and he stuck out his hand to grab the escapee. Harlan pulled the person into his small hiding place as the robotic guards continued their way down the corridor. 

"Thank you, Harlan Band," the person said.

Harlan was shocked to discover the voice didn't belong to Catalina. In the dim light of the alley, he could make out the pale skin and pink hair of the escapee. Harlan blinked in surprise.

"Gyana?" he whispered.

The Guardian smiled at him as she stuck her head out into the corridor. When she saw it was deserted, she led Harlan out. 

Gyana was exactly as Harlan remembered her. He had not seen the pale-skinned, blue-eyed Guardian since the Spung invasion, where she told him he would never see her again. Now, here she was, a prisoner of the mysterious kidnappers.

"What are you doing here?" Harlan asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Gyana replied. "I am a prisoner, like you."

"But can't you just teleport into space?" Harlan asked.

"I could, if we were in space," Gyana answered. "Actually, I believe this is my first time on a planet. Not exactly as I pictured it."

Gyana began to walk down the corridor and Harlan noticed that her black-and-white cloak was missing. He recalled Catalina saying that Gyana's cloak could make people invisible, but it also drained the Guardian's energy. As he followed his friend deeper into the strange ship, he could see no signs of weakness.

"I assume you are here searching for your friends," Gyana said over her shoulder. "I have not seen any of them."

"Just Cat and Radu are here," Harlan said, "and about a hundred Starcademy cadets. We're supposed to bring them back."

"And I can see you are doing an excellent job."

Harlan frowned at the remark, unsure whether or not to be offended. Gyana led him down a final row of cages, to a door that was locked.

"Where are we going?" Harlan asked.

"We are going to find your friends, leave this planet, and get you all back to where you belong."

"Do you know how to do that?" 

Gyana smiled. "No, but I suspect that if we search around, we will find a computer or at least someone to speak with."

**********

Catalina sat up and wiped the last of the yellow goo off her body. She had been trapped in a dream world that she could only assume was supposed to be happy. Instead, Catalina saw horrors of her past life on the Saturnian moon of Titan and had used a sonic blast unknowingly. The blast had shattered the gooey trap that had held her.

Cat made her way to the door of the cage and aimed her blaster at the lock. She fired once and the door swung open. Bracing herself for alarms and guards, she was shocked and relieved to find that no one noticed her leaving. Once again wondering what this strange place was, she slid down from her second level cage and landed on the metal ground with a thud. As she stood and brushed herself off, she looked into the cage that was below her own and gasped. There, consumed by the same yellow substance that had held her, was Radu.

Catalina pried open the door to the cage and crawled in beside the Andromedan. Radu appeared to be in stasis, with a bemused expression on his face. Catalina regarded him for a second before preparing herself for a sonic blast. She hoped Radu's hearing would be blocked by the ooze.

The yellow blob shattered, but Radu didn't move. Catalina shook him and he moaned in his sleep. A few seconds later, his eyes flickered open and he turned to his friend.

"Cat?" he said, his voice groggy. "Is that you?"

"You bet," Cat replied. "I'm here to get you home. Come on."

Radu sat up and shook his head. Catalina stuck her head out the door and looked for guards. She saw none, and soon, the two escaped prisoners were creeping through the aisles of cages.

**********

Harlan leveled his blaster and fired. The lock on the door was destroyed in a shower of sparks and the door slid open. Inside, they found a closet full of weapons and clothing, obviously taken from the prisoners.

"No computer here," Harlan said.

"No," Gyana replied. "Something better."

From behind a large pile of shoes came Gyana's cloak. It seemed to float towards her as if by magic, and wrapped itself around her. Harlan saw that the Guardian's face became less pale as she enveloped herself within the fabric of the cloak.

"Okay, so now you'll be warm," Harlan said. "How does that help us find the kidnappers?"

Gyana smiled. "Remember, this cloak grants invisibility. It may come in useful."

Harlan rolled his eyes and scanned the room for a better weapon than his blaster. He found a large laser gun that was almost fully charged. Tucking the blaster in his jacket, he picked up the laser.

"I'm ready," Harlan told Gyana. "Let's go."

**********

The Earther and the Guardian walked around the perimeter of the holding bay where the prisoners were being held. Twice, they were forced to hide from roving robot guards, but other than that they met no resistance. Apparently, the search for the escaped prisoners had been called off for an unknown reason. Harlan shifted his laser as Gyana cracked open another door. She motioned for Harlan to join her and they entered the adjacent chamber.

Inside, Harlan gasped. The room was covered wall to wall with computers. Thousands of flashing lights and screens illuminated the room. Quickly, Gyana walked to the closest screen and began searching.

"Guard the door," she said.

Harlan nodded and began to watch. Several minutes passed and Gyana changed stations twice. Harlan's mind began to wander to thoughts of Catalina and his family back on Earth as he waited for some alien kidnapper to appear. Suddenly, one did.

"Gyana, hide!" Harlan hissed as he ran into the room.

"Quickly, come here," Gyana said.

The Guardian enfolded Harlan in her cloak and the two faded into invisibility as the first of the kidnappers entered the room. Harlan had never seen this species of alien before. It was large, with yellow skin, one eye in the middle of its forehead, and two pairs of arms. It had enormous legs that were as thick as Harlan's body, which ended in stumps rather than feet. It wore only a loin cloth around its waist and its chest was smooth. 

"What is that?" Harlan whispered.

"I am not entirely sure," Gyana replied. "Let us watch and learn."

The creature headed to a computer console and began to push buttons. The screen in front of it crackled to life and Harlan inhaled sharply. The face on the screen was very familiar.

"How many do you have?" Reaver, the space pirate asked.

The creature spoke in a strange language that Harlan had never heard. Fortunately, the communicator in Gyana's cloak knew far more languages than Harlan's. 

"Well over one hundred thousand," it replied. "How many do you want?"

"I want some of the Starcademy brats," Reaver said with an eerie smile. "SOL slaves sell for so much more on many planets."

"We have one hundred and twenty-seven Starcademy slaves."

"I thought you said one hundred thirty only yesterday," Reaver's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"We have had three escapes since then," the alien answered. "They have not left the ship, but they are not presently accounted for."

"Find them," Reaver snapped. "I have a buyer for one hundred thirty slaves, not one twenty-seven."

The alien nodded once and glared at the pirate. "Anything else?"

"See that they remain in stasis until I reach the planet," Reaver ordered. "I don't want any more escapes before I have them all under my control."

"Of course," the alien replied. "End transmission."

The picture of Reaver's grinning face disappeared and the alien stomped out of the room. Gyana and Harlan waited a few more minutes before reappearing.

"Reaver!" Harlan said angrily. "I should have known."

"He is the pirate who captured me," Gyana remarked. "He pretended to be having trouble with his ship and lured me on board. Did you know he has a telemorph working for him?"

Harlan nodded. "Ubi. He almost got me too."

Gyana's brow furrowed. "I thought you were captured at Starcademy."

"Ubi and I met a long time ago, when we were still on the Christa. They were trying to steal our communications satellite, but we stopped them."

Gyana nodded. "Then we must hurry and discover the location of this planet before Reaver and his telemorph return for the slaves."

**********

Catalina peeked out from around a corner. She looked both ways, her blaster held at the ready. The hallway was deserted and Cat slowly released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She turned to Radu, who stood behind her.

"Do you hear anything?" she asked.

Radu shook his head. "I don't hear any life signs, or engines. Of course, my hearing is still a little off."

Catalina nodded. Radu's hearing had been affected by the yellow blob that had encased him as well as from the sonic blast that had freed him. Radu has assured Cat that the damage was only temporary.

Catalina sighed. "I guess we have to find Harlan the old fashioned way."

Radu smiled. "Or at least find out where we are."

The two prisoners crept into the empty corridor.

**********

The door slid open slowly, protesting against the movement as much as it could. Radu ignored the squealing doors as he pried them open. It had taken him and Cat over an hour to find the door and curiosity had gotten the better of them. Cat had her blaster leveled at the growing opening, preparing to shoot any hostile force.

Radu stepped back and let Catalina go through first. The Saturnian cautiously looked around as she moved through the door. The door opened into a long hallway lined with more doors on either side. Catalina quickly counted at least ten different doors and she sighed.

"What now?" she whispered.

Radu cocked his head and listened for a moment. "I still don't hear any life signs. What exactly are we trying to do?"

"We've got to find out who's been taking the Starcademy cadets and why. Then, we contact Starcademy to come and get us out of here."

"Sounds too easy."

"Foolish plans often are," a new voice said.

Catalina and Radu spun around and saw Ubi standing in the doorway. The feline telemorph smiled at them.

"You wouldn't be trying to escape, now would you?" he meowed.

**********

Harlan and Gyana accessed the last of the computer terminals. Although Gyana had found the names and species of all the slaves on board the ship, the location of the planet still remained a mystery. Harlan scanned through the last of the database files.

"Well, we know how we got here, but why and where are still unanswered," Harlan remarked in frustration. "Just great."

"Perhaps if we locate the machine that was used to transport us here, we will be able to access some logs," Gyana suggested.

Harlan smiled at here. "Great idea. Have we found a map of this ship yet?"

Gyana shook her head. "I am afraid not, however, I do believe we can ask the computer to show us the location of the device, if we knew what it was called."

Harlan slammed his fist down on the console in anger. They had spent hours searching the ship's database and, although they had discovered that a machine had been built to transport alien species based on DNA codes, they had come no closer to discovering their whereabouts. 

"I guess we have no choice," Harlan sighed. "Where do we being looking?"

**********

Catalina and Radu were shoved roughly into a cage. Unlike their previous prisons, this one was equipped with many locks as well as Andromedan-proof metal bars. Ubi laughed at them from the other side. 

"Reaver was not pleased with your commander," Ubi said. "You could have made us both very rich with that satellite."

"We'd rather die than help you," Catalina cried.

Ubi smiled at them. "That can be arranged. After all, late is better than never."  
The door behind them slid open and a familiar person sauntered in. His face was scarred and his hair a mess, but he wore the same cocky grin he had when they had first met.

"Reaver," Radu hissed.

The space pirate made a mock bow and grinned. 

"If it isn't my Andromedan puppet," he said. "I've missed you."

Radu said nothing.

"But I do believe I've missed the opportunity of meeting your little friend."

Catalina glared up at the pirate. Reaver chuckled to himself.

"This one's feisty," he said to Ubi. "Make sure we sell her to the Mattakan gladiators. They like lively targets."

Ubi grinned and vanished. Reaver stared down at his prisoners. 

"But first, I think I'm entitled to a little fun," he said. "I've made a few adjustments to my puppet strings since the last time we met I've been dying to try out."

**********

Gyana led the way down the twisting corridor, her eyes frequently looking down at the map she had printed from the main computer. Harlan followed close behind, keeping an eye out for life signs. 

"In here," Gyana said. 

Harlan nodded and followed the Guardian through a small doorway. The room inside, however, was huge. Unlike the computer room, this area had only one small control panel that seemed to operate the enormous machine located dead center. The machine was like nothing Harlan had ever seen. Two large pillars rose from either side, both black in colour and made of a shiny metal. In the middle was a small platform with another, wider tube hanging above it. Gyana quickly made her way to the controls.

"This is it," she said. "I am attempting to access the logs."

Harlan circled the machine, looking up on it in awe.

"I have it," the Guardian said triumphantly. "According to the files, this machine has been transporting different species to this ship for over ten Earth years. We are but the most recent batch."

"Why are we being brought here?" Harlan asked, coming to stand next to Gyana.

"I am not certain," Gyana replied, "but I believe we are going to be sold as slaves."

The door slid open and Harlan lowered his gun, aiming at the door. A figure stumbled in and Harlan nearly dropped his weapon in relief when he saw who it was.

"Cat!" Harlan exclaimed.

"Hurry," Cat said, "we are all in danger."

Harlan began to run for the door, but Gyana's hand on his arm prevented him from moving.

"Let go," Harlan said.

"A word of caution," Gyana said. "This person does not sound like the Catalina we know."

"Harlan, hurry!" Catalina called from the door.

"Of course it's Cat," Harlan said, pulling his arm free. "Who else could it be?"

Gyana stepped back and allowed the Earther to run to the door. Harlan managed to take one step into the other room when a pair of strong arms caught him from behind. He looked over his shoulder and saw Radu.

"What gives?" Harlan asked.

"Welcome," Reaver said, stepping out of the shadows. "Long time, no see."

**********

Gyana sighed as she watched Harlan get captured from the safety of her invisible cloak. She put her hand to her head in fatigue; the stress of staying on the planet was beginning to wear her down. She opened her other hand and looked down at the communications device she had taken from Harlan. As the Earther and his two friends were taken back to the cages, Gyana set the communicator on the control panel and alerted Starcademy. Mustering all the energy she could and teleported herself out of the room.

She reappeared in the prison in time to see Harlan being thrown into a cage. Catalina and Radu both stood beside Reaver, their faces expressionless. The amount of energy Gyana used to teleport almost made her fall out of invisibility, but she managed to hold on. She had to save her friends.

"I am the puppeteer," Reaver was saying, "and these are my new and improved puppets. Notice how you can barely see the implants? Not only that, but now I can control their every process, including speech and thought. Not bad, huh?"

"What do you want?" Harlan asked.

"Only to make a living," Reaver answered. "Isn't that what everyone wants?"  
"Selling us is your way of making a living?" Harlan said. 

"Unfortunately, I had to sell my ship to pay for my new puppet strings, so I had to switch from piracy to slave trade," Reaver said. "Don't worry. You won't end up like the others. I need a few good puppets around, so I've decided to keep you and your Andromedan friend."

"What about Cat?" Harlan asked.

"The girl? She'll be heading off to Mattaka to participate in their barbaric games. She probably won't survive a single match."

Harlan was speechless. Gyana decided it was time to act now, before Harlan was placed under the pirate's control. Picking up a small screw from the ground, she threw it against the wall, making a loud ping sound.

"Go see what that was," Reaver ordered.

Radu slowly turned and walked to where Gyana hid. The Guardian waited until he was out of Reaver's sight before sneaking behind the Andromedan and pulling the implants off his head. Radu blinked and shook his head. Gyana made herself visible.

"Gyana!" Radu gasped. 

The Guardian clamped her hand over the Andromedan's mouth. "Quiet!"

She quickly explained everything to him. Radu nodded when she was done and took Gyana firmly by the arm. He pulled her back to where Reaver waited.

"Excellent, the final runaway," Reaver said. "Hold her."

Radu held the struggling Gyana tightly as Reaver continued to gloat over his apparent victory. Radu and Gyana slowly made their way closer to Catalina and quickly pulled her implants off as well.

"Now," Gyana told Radu.

The Andromedan grabbed Reaver's arm and pulled the control device from his wrist. He threw it to the ground and it smashed into several small pieces. 

"Ubi!" Reaver called as he wrestled with Radu.

Gyana began to pick the lock that held Harlan's cage closed.

"Stop or your friend dies," Ubi said.

Radu and Gyana both froze. Ubi held Catalina tightly, with one hand clamped over her mouth and a blaster leveled at her head. Reaver brushed himself off and unlocked the cage. He held a blaster at Harlan and motioned for Radu and Gyana to get in.

"Hold it," a new voice said.

Reaver turned and saw Commander Goddard standing in the doorway with a dozen other StarDogs. Each had a laser aimed at the space pirate and his telemorph. 

"Release them," Goddard said.

Reaver did as he was told, his hands held up in surrender.

**********

A fleet of transports flew through space, bringing all the slaves home. Gyana flew beside the lead ship, where Commander Goddard and her friends were. As she glided around them, she felt her energy being returned to her and she smiled. She turned her communicator on to the frequency of the transport and hailed her friends.

"How did you know where to find us?" she heard Harlan saying.

"Gyana had left a signal for us to follow," Goddard replied. "All we had to do was follow it."

"Good thing she's such a good pick pocket," Catalina laughed. 

"I heard that!" Gyana said.

The air-breathers inside the transport laughed.

"It sure is good to be going home," Harlan remarked.

"And it is equally good to be free," Gyana added.


	13. Graduation

GRADUATION

Harlan raced down the nearly deserted halls of Starcademy. The majority of the students were in class, or relaxing in the biosphere, leaving the way clear for Harlan's mad dash. Rounding a corner at top speed, he neatly avoided a small group of Uranusians and headed into a nearby classroom.

Catalina and Clito were carefully mixing chemicals in the lab and Harlan slowed enough to keep from running over the tables and chairs. He slid to a stop and slammed the paper he had been carrying down. The vials shook, spilling liquid onto the table and Catalina lifted up her safety goggles to glare at Harlan.

"Now look what you did," Cat said. "We've been working for hours to get this right."

"Sorry," Harlan grinned, "but you have to see this."

Still annoyed at Harlan, Cat snatched up the paper and read. Her eyes grew wide with surprise and she smiled brightly.

"We passed? We're StarDogs?" Cat gasped.

"It appears so," said Clito as she read the note.

Catalina let out a whoop and grabbed Harlan in a giant hug. The two danced around the room as Clito watched in amusement. 

"Graduation is in a few weeks," Harlan said as they danced. "People from all over UPP space are coming here to look for ensigns." He paused and looked up, as if reading his name in lights. "Captain Harlan Band, StarDog."

"Calm down, Captain," Catalina said. "According to the sheet, you still need three credits to graduate, which means you have to pass all the courses you're currently failing."

Harlan's smile faded and he turned to look at his friends. He sighed and left the room.

"That was mean," Clito told Cat.

Cat shrugged. "Not really. He wants to be a Captain so badly, he'll actually start working to pass. It's for his own good."

Clito looked at the door where Harlan had just left. "Maybe you're right, but Earther emotions are different from Saturnian."

**********

The throne room was draped in the black cloth of mourning. The great Spung Emperor Biket IV had been assassinated and the entire Spung empire was in turmoil. Although Warlord Shett was the heir to the throne, several lesser Spung lords had accused Shett of the murder of Biket. Spung law forbids the ascension of the previous Emperor's killer to the throne and therefore, Shett's claim was in jeopardy. A small band of rebellious Spung had also put forward the departed sirrola as a likely candidate for the throne, a fact which worried the lesser lords. Female or not, Elmira still had royal blood and, if she could win the majority to her favour, could become the next ruler of the Spung empire.

**********

Elmira worked in her garden on the small moon of Tethys, where the UPP had granted her asylum. Since leaving Starcademy at the end of the Spung Invasion, Elmira had been living in seclusion and enjoying it. She still had her visions, most of which she recorded for future reference, but felt at peace and relaxed now that no one demanded the future from her. 

The video phone inside her small house rang. Standing, Elmira brushed the dirt off the knees of her blue overalls and swept her hair away from her face. Quickly, she went inside.

"Hello?" She said, answering her phone.

"Sirrola," someone said. The image was broken, but Elmira was certain her caller was Spung. "The Emperor . . . dead. Come . . . Shett . . . claim the throne. Meet me . . . Delta field, asteroid three, tomorrow. Please . . . "

The image died. Elmira sat back to think about what she had just heard. Her uncle was dead and her brother wanted the throne. Elmira knew the UPP would be no match for the entire Spung fleet and if Shett gained the throne, he would bring the fleet into UPP space. Elmira picked up the recorder she used to tape her visions and listened to the most recent prophecies.

"Might will fall, peace in space. Legend's leader lead the race."

Elmira thought back to the myth that a Spung oracle would help bring the Spung to a higher level of existence. She listened to the next prophecy.

"Always alone, never in hate, greatest enemy becomes only escape."

"Delta field, asteroid three, tomorrow," Elmira whispered to herself.

**********

Radu smiled at the image of his sister, Arista. They had been talking for hours after Radu had found out he would be graduating. His entire family had promised to attend the ceremony and Radu once again reflected on how nice it was to be loved.

"The Governor of Andromeda has stepped down," Arista was saying. "The elections for the new leader are in a few days."

"Anyone sympathetic to the New Andromeda colony?" Radu asked, referring to his family's underground community.

"Just one," Arista replied. "Me."

Radu grinned. "Congratulations."

"Not yet," Arista said. "Wait until I've won."

Radu's video phone beeped, signaling an incoming call. Radu said good bye to his younger sister and switched signals. He was surprised and delighted at the face that appeared.

"Elmira!" Radu said.

"Hello, Radu," Elmira replied. "I need to ask you a favour."

"Anything," Radu promised.

Elmira smiled. "Good. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."

The image on the screen faded, leaving Radu wondering what he had volunteered to do.

**********

Elmira piloted her small craft towards the large asteroid field located at the UPP/Spung border. Radu navigated their way through the field, suppressing a tired yawn. They had left Starcademy before daybreak and had been flying for hours to reach the border.

"We're in the Delta field," Radu said. "Where to now?"

"Asteroid three," Elmira answered. She turned to Radu and put her hand on his. "Thank you for coming."

Radu blushed. "Y – you're welcome."

In another few minutes, they had reached the asteroid. Radu spotted another ship and, as they landed, Elmira hailed them. A young male Spung's image appeared on the screen.

"Sirrola," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Your message seemed urgent," Elmira replied.

The Spung's eyes darted to Radu before returning to Elmira. "Can your slave be trusted?"

Radu frowned and Elmira put a reassuring hand on his. "He is not a slave, but a trusted friend."

The Spung nodded, but Radu continued to feel his hostility.

"I am Dirge," he said, "leader of the rebellion. I have come to ask you to return to the Spung homeworld and claim your rightful place as Empress of the Spung."

**********

There was a knock at the door. Bova tore his eyes away from his most recent experiment and stood to answer it. Before he could reach the door, it flew open and Rosie came in. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him close. Bova returned the embrace, smiling to himself.

"Oh, Bova, isn't it great? We're graduating!" Rosie said.

"Terrific," Bova replied. "We'll leave Starcademy and never come back or see each other again."

"We'll keep in touch," Rosie promised.

"Yeah, sure," Bova muttered.

Rosie sat down on a nearby chair and Bova returned to his experiment. After a few minutes of silence, Rosie spoke up again.

"Have you gotten any placement offers yet?" she asked.

"A few," Bova answered.

"I got one for a position as an ensign on Starbase 7, working in the medlab," Rosie said. "They said my experience on the Christa and during the war puts me well ahead of most of the other cadets."

"I got an offer for Starbase 7 too," Bova said, "as a research assistant."

"You should take it," Rosie exclaimed. "Then we'd be together!"

Bova turned away to conceal his smile.

**********

Elmira paced back and forth in the small ship. Radu watched her from where he sat, wondering what she was thinking. Dirge had pleaded his case, begging her to return with him. The situation, as he had explained it, was desperate. With Shett as the new Emperor, the entire empire would be locked in continuous war. The lesser lords, Dirge assured, were all incompetent. The missing sirrola was the only hope for the Spung, and the majority of the Spung population agreed.

Elmira turned abruptly in her pacing to face Radu. "What do you think?" she asked.

"Do what you think is best," Radu answered. "I'll always be here for you."

Elmira nodded and hailed Dirge.

"I accept," she told him. "Radu and I will follow your ship to the Spung homeworld."

"Sirrola, is bringing an Andromedan wise?"

"He is my protector," Elmira replied. "Do not treat him as a slave for as my protector, he is given the ranking of a lesser lord."

Dirge stiffened. "As you command, Sirrola," he said icily.

"Will our transmissions not be intercepted?" Elmira asked. "What we propose is treason."

"This asteroid releases its own magnetic field that hides us from scanners, Sirrola," Dirge explained. "Now, let us return home. We still need a majority of the lesser lords to make you empress."

Elmira nodded and ended the transmission. She sat on Radu's lap and put her arms around his neck.

"What do you think of that, my Lord Protector?" she asked.

"I think this is going to be tricky," Radu replied. He shook his head in disbelief. "An Andromedan with a high rank in a Spung court."

"Stranger things could happen," Elmira replied.

**********

Catalina and Harlan sat in the cafeteria. Neither of them had said anything about graduation since that day in the lab and it appeared as if both had forgotten about it.

"Have you seen Radu lately?" Cat asked.

Harlan nodded. "He left early yesterday morning on some important mission. I think he mentioned Elmira's name, too."

Catalina mouthed a silent "oh" and returned to her food.

"Harlan Band and Catalina, please report to Principal Ravenshire immediately," the intercom blared.

"I wonder what this is about," Catalina said.

Harlan shrugged as the two cadets rose and left the cafeteria.

**********

Principal Ravenshire sat at her desk with three men sitting in front. As Cat and Harlan entered, the men turned.

The man on the far left was tall with dark skin and dark hair. He stood and the cadets immediately snapped to attention and saluted.

"Admiral Cody, sir!" they said in unison.

The Admiral returned their salute and smiled. "At ease. Harlan, Catalina, there are people here you should meet."

The second man stood and smiled. He was of average height with pale skin and red hair. He wore the uniform of a StarDog Captain. His green eyes sparkles as he held out his hand to Harlan. 

"Harlan Band, this is Captain Davies of the _Excaliber_," Admiral Cody said.

Harlan saluted, then returned the handshake.

"Captain Davies is a fan of yours, Mr. Band," Ravenshire spoke up. "He has heard of your piloting skills on the Christa and as an Air Striker and wants you aboard."

"As a Captain's ensign," Davies added.

"But what about . . ?" Harlan began.

"Your outstanding credits, should you not pass your finals, will be disregarded in light of experience," Ravenshire said. "Congratulations. You're on your way to becoming a Captain."

Harlan smiled and pumped Captain Davies' hand.

"Thank you, sir," Harlan said. "You won't be disappointed."

Captain Davies only smiled. The remaining man cleared his throat.

"This is the Head of UPP Diplomatic Relations," the Admiral said. "Mr. Mandarian, from Saturn."

The Saturnian was tall with blue eyes, red, blue, and green hair and an orange, yellow, and purple beard. He held out his hand to Catalina, who shook it.

"I'm interested in your invisible friend, Suzee, and her dimension of Yensid," Mandarian said. "The UPP would like to set up trade and diplomatic relations with Yensid and we'd like you, Catalina, to be our ambassador."

Catalina smiled. "Me? Of course!"

"Excellent," Mandarian said. "The UPP has been able to create a portal to Yensid and, should the Yensidians agree to trade, a permanent doorway will be opened."

Catalina was beaming. "This is great!" She turned to the empty space beside her. "Suzee, you'll be able to visit whenever you want!"

Mandarian smiled.

"It's all agreed. You both will leave after the graduation ceremony in two weeks time. Until then, study hard for your finals," Ravenshire said.

Harlan and Cat saluted once more and left.

**********

Elmira docked her small craft at the landing bay on the small moonbase where the rebels lived. They were only a short hyper jump from the Spung homeworld and were anxiously preparing for the trial of Warlord Shett.

As was custom, anyone with a claim to the throne was to assemble before the lesser lords after the mourning period. The lesser lords then reviewed the merit of each claim and voted on who the next ruler would be. A majority vote was all the rebels needed to place Elmira on the imperial throne.

The Sirrola disembarked, with Radu following close beside her. The Andromedan had changed out of his Starcademy uniform and was now wearing a deep blue shirt and gray trousers. His hair was tied back, revealing his Andromedan features. The rebels who had assembled to greet their future Empress looked at him warily, but Elmira met each look with a stern glare, daring any of them to question her judgement.

"Welcome, Sirrola," Dirge said.

Elmira nodded her head in acknowledgment and Dirge bowed deeply. He glared at Radu on his way back up and the Andromedan licked his lips nervously. He wished he felt as confident as Elmira.

"What preparations are yet to be made?" Elmira asked.

"We have gained the favour of three lesser lords, Sirrola," a Spung rebel piped up.

"Good work," Elmira replied, "but there are ten lesser lords. We need at least six votes. How long do we have, Dirge?"

"Four days, Sirrola."

"Not nearly enough time," the sirrola mused. "Anything else?"

"We fear rebellion if you are named Empress," the same rebel said. "Your life may be at risk."

Elmira patted Radu fondly on the hand. "That is why I have my Lord Protector. He is your equal and, in many ways, your superior. Treat him as such."

"Yes, Sirrola," the rebels agreed, although Radu could clearly hear the bitter undertones to their words.

Elmira nodded. "Shall we go inside?"

**********

Bova and Rosie toured the facilities of Starbase 7. They had both been granted a small leave of absence from classes to review their choices for placement after graduation. 

Starbase 7 was an outpost for the UPP, located at the edge of the SOL system. It was far from any habitable planet and it took almost a week to reach Pluto. Rosie was worried that it would be too cold a climate for her, but had been reassured by the base's commander that the necessary temperature arrangements would be met. The Starbase was used for refueling as well as for a military base should it be necessary. Mostly, passing ships would stop for a few days of rest, to pick up supplies, refuel their ship, or attend to their wounded or sick. At the moment, the UPP had based a research team on the Starbase to determine the nature of a nearby spatial anomaly. It was to that team that Bova had been assigned.

"Well, what do you think?" Rosie asked after the commander had given them a brief tour. 

Bova shrugged. "It's pretty close to home, not that I'd ever want to go back there again."

"Think of all the interesting people we'll meet."

"You'll meet," Bova corrected. "I'll be staring at a melting star all day."

"Oh, Bova," Rosie smiled. "You'll have some free time."

"Yeah, for sleeping and eating."

Rosie rolled her eyes, determined not to let Bova destroy her image of this place.

"I think it's great. I'm going to accept this placement."

Bova hesitated a second. "I guess I will too. No sense in leaving you alone out here."

Rosie smiled brightly and hugged her friend. Bova's eyes widened as Rosie's excited state raised her temperature.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "Rosie, cool down! You're burning my uniform!"

**********

Catalina danced around the girl's dorm. She had been talking with both Suzee and Mandarian about her new ambassador status. Suzee was just as excited as she was at the prospect of being able to visit Catalina's dimension again. Although she'd never admit it, she missed the time she had spent on Cat's backwards dimension.

"Ambassador Catalina," Cat said for the millionth time.

Suzee rolled her eyes. "Stop that or you'll get sick of hearing it."

"I don't think I ever could," Cat smiled. "Have you met with the Elder's Council yet?"

"Cat, it's nearly midnight here and you only told me about this an hour ago. How could I have met the Elders already?"

"Oh yeah," Catalina said. "I wish it was morning on Yensid."

Suzee yawned. "I wish it was night where you are. Are you done talking so I can get some sleep?"

Cat blushed. "Sorry, Suzee. Good night."

"Night, Ambassador," Suzee replied with a smile.

**********

Harlan sat on deck with Captain Davies. The Captain had just finished giving Harlan a tour of the ship and Harlan was impressed. The _Excaliber _wasn't a fighter like he was used to, but an exploration ship. It would be gone from the SOL system for months at a time, with a crew of several hundred plus their families. Harlan felt a tingle of excitement every time he thought of commanding such a craft. They were unlikely to experience any difficulties, but being in command of so many people made his blood rush. 

"Well, Mr. Band?" Davies asked.

"I can't wait, Captain," Harlan said. "What do I do?"

"You'll be shadowing me for a few months," Davies answered. "I'll fill you in on the procedures and politics of different races and things like that. In your free time, you'll be studying logs from this ship until you know her inside and out, all her strengths and weaknesses."

Harlan grimaced at the word study', but nodded. 

"When we're on active duty on the bridge, I may ask your advise on certain situations, but don't feel too badly if I decide not to follow it. It takes a while for someone to get the feel of commanding. We'll also be running simulations for you on the holo projectors so you'll see what it's like making split second decisions."

Harlan smiled. "That sounds good."

Davies returned the grin. "Since our missions last for a long time, it shouldn't take you too long to get a feel for the ship. Placements have to last two years and I'll be sending regular reports to the UPP on your progress. When the two years are up, the UPP will assign you to another ship, probably as a First Officer. In no time, you'll be a Captain."

Harlan's smile broadened. "Captain Harlan Band."

"Right," Davies said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now, you should get back to the school. Study hard for your finals."

Harlan saluted and left the bridge. Captain Davies watched him go and shook his head as he realized how much Harlan reminded him of his own youth.

**********

Elmira walked down the city streets of the Spung Homeworld, with Radu close behind. Radu wore a long cloak with a deep cowl that hid his features completely. No Spung, other than the rebels, knew he was Andromedan. 

Elmira was on her way to the first meeting since the passing of her uncle. At this meeting, the lesser lords would interview everyone who had a claim to the throne and narrow the decision down. Dozens of Spung nobles, warlords, and soldiers were crowded around the palace, each demanding that they become emperor. As Elmira approached, the crowd of angry males seemed to melt away, clearing a path for the sirrola. She was dressed in a long, flowing blue gown and her hair was artfully arranged with diamonds and jewels to show her rank. She wore a gold necklace with a green emerald in it, given to her by the previous emperor. 

Elmira didn't make eye contact with any of the other Spung assembled for the meeting, but remained regal and confident as she stepped up to the gate. The surprised guards recognized her and immediately admitted her into the palace grounds. Radu followed close behind.

The Council of the Lesser Lords was assembled in the throne room, with the empty throne behind the semi-circle of nobles. Elmira made her way to the center of the circle, Radu still at her side, and she waited. To her right was her brother, Warlord Shett, and to her left was her other main opponent, Lord Kairn. Shett smiled cruelly at his sister and Kairn seemed amused by her presence. The lesser lords, however, were not quite so amused.

"Who admitted this female into the Council?" one demanded.

"I am not just any female, my lord," Elmira said crisply. "I am the daughter of Warlord Shank, niece to Biket IV, and an oracle."

"You are still female and cannot rule," the lord replied.

"You forget the prophecy, my lord," Elmira said. "An oracle is destined to lead the Spung to a greater existence. How can you be certain I am not that oracle?"

"Fairy tales," another lord spat. "Childish stories."

"Maybe not," the Spung next to him said. "There is often truth in legend."

"You cannot listen to her," Shett cried. "She is a witch and will destroy the Spung!"

"You forget yourself," the first lord said. "You are not emperor yet and until then, we rule the Spung."

Shett glared at his sister, who remained standing perfectly still, staring straight ahead. Radu licked his lips as he watched things unfold. Shett's eyes narrowed and he nodded his head so slightly the move was barely perceived. Out of the shadows came a soldier wielding a long dagger. He cried out once and lunged himself at Elmira's unprotected back. Radu acted quickly. He grabbed the soldier's wrist and with a small twist, he broke it. He then took the Spung by the neck and squeezed until his eyes bulged out before throwing him to the floor where he lay, gasping for air.

The lesser lords said nothing.

"As you can see, my lords," Elmira said, "I will not be cast aside so easily. Consider this when you vote: I have seen the future and only I can keep what I've seen from happening. The Spung Empire will fall unless you chose me as your Empress."

With those final words, she turned and left the council. Radu followed, glancing down at the still gasping Spung who had tried to kill the sirrola.

**********

Elmira and Radu came into the streets just outside the palace. As they walked, Radu heard a deep rumbling from the lower levels of the city, where the majority of the population lived. 

"I hear something," he whispered to Elmira. "Sounds like an enormous crowd."

Elmira took a deep breath to steel her nerves. "We will just have to get through them, my Lord Protector."

The two rounded a corner and came across a sea of Spung, without a friendly face in sight. Elmira looked over the crowd and saw Dirge's ship docked at the spaceport, waiting to take her and Radu back to the rebel base. She held Radu's hand tightly and looked back at him. He seemed so small, lost in the depths of the cowl, but she could sense his courage radiating.

"I love you," she whispered.

Radu squeezed her hand in reply and they attempted to push through the crowd.

"It's the witch!" someone cried.

The crowd began to chant: "Kill the witch! Kill the witch!"

Radu and Elmira struggled to reach the spaceport when the crowd began to throw things. Stones and pieces of wood and food came hurtling towards Elmira. Radu bent over her to shield her from the storm and, as he hurried her along, Elmira could hear Radu's sharp intake of breath every time he was hit. 

The distance between them and the spaceport seemed to grow as the crowd became more violent. Small stones were being replaced with large rocks, and the wood and food were being exchanged for sharp pieces of metal. Radu did his best to push the crowd away from the sirrola, but it was difficult. Finally, Dirge appeared in front of them and the rebels began to open a corridor leading to the ship. The small projectiles continued to fly from the crowd and Elmira began to grow fearful. Suddenly, the protection she had received from Radu was gone as the Andromedan fell. Dirge grabbed Elmira's arm and directed her to the ship. Elmira fought him off and turned to make sure Radu was all right, only to find him standing a step behind her. He managed a weak smile as they boarded their escape and fled the angry Homeworld.

Radu collapsed on a seat and winced. Elmira sat in front of him and turned her chair around to face him. His face was paler than usual and sweat poured down his face. He looked very uncomfortable and his left hand was holding his right shoulder.

"Are you all right?" Elmira asked, knowing he was not.

"Fine," Radu gasped. "Are you hurt?"

Elmira shook her head. "Let me see."

Radu leaned forward and Elmira saw a piece of metal protruding from his shoulder. She gasped involuntarily and pulled it out. Radu inhaled sharply and Elmira bound the cut.

"Better?" she asked.

Radu managed a smile. "Much," he replied.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I've just been through a meteor shower."

Elmira returned the smile. "Rest. It appears I do not have as much support as Dirge led me to believe. We have only three days remaining and I do not think the population supports me."

Radu didn't answer. Elmira looked over at him and saw he was sleeping peacefully. She picked up a blanket from the floor and draped it over him, kissing his cheek softly.

"Good night, my protector," she whispered.

**********

Radu woke and found himself in his bed in the Spung rebel base. He threw off his blanket and saw that he was stripped to the waist and that his arm had been bandaged. Raising his left hand, he touched his shoulder gingerly and winced. It had been cleaned and bandaged, leaving his right arm strapped uselessly to his body until his shoulder was healed. Radu took a deep breath and found his lungs and ribs hurt. Looking down at his chest, he saw his body was a map of cuts and bruises from the beating he had taken. He knew he would heal quickly, but for the moment, the pain was present.

Radu stood and tried to put on his shirt, only to find the process to difficult. He sighed and left the room to find Elmira.

He found her with Dirge and several other rebels in the meeting room, speaking quietly as they sat at the long table. Elmira raised her head as Radu entered and she went to his side. She touched his arm gently and the throbbing increased in his shoulder. He smiled at her.

"You slept well?" Dirge asked politely.  
Radu nodded and joined Elmira at the head of the table. Elmira sat and Radu stood behind her.

"What is our status?" Elmira asked.

"The people are demanding leadership," Dirge said. "We face open rebellion if an emperor is not selected soon."

"The lesser lords have not yet made their votes," another Spung named Xemo added. "We have only four votes with five in favour of Shett, and one for Kairn. We must receive two more votes for a majority."

Elmira nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps it is time for Lord Kairn and I to meet." She turned to Dirge. "Why does Kairn want to be emperor? He is a lesser noble and I'm sure he knows he could never win against a Warlord."

Dirge looked shocked. "I admit, sirrola, the thought had never crossed my mind."

Xemo spoke up. "He is there to give our people hope. Since Shett has been accused of murder, the law commands that he be elected to the office. Kairn is serving as the opposition."

The other Spung muttered their agreement. Elmira waited calmly until the noise had diminished before standing. The other rebels turned to her.

"I believe an alliance can be made," Elmira said. "I will contact Kairn. If we can join forces, we will be able to beat Shett."

"Sirrola," Dirge protested, "the lords would grant the throne to Kairn, not you."

"Perhaps," Elmira said, "perhaps not."

_Always alone, never in hate, greatest enemy becomes only escape._

**********

Catalina and Mandarian stood in the visitor's quarters of Starcademy. Suzee was presenting her case to the Elders and both she and Catalina were anxious to hear the Yensidian's decision. Catalina was telling Mandarian everything that was happening as Suzee spoke.

"Suzee's made her presentation to the public court," Catalina said. "There are representatives from every order, but the Elders will have the ultimate decision."

"Who is in our favour?" Mandarian asked.

"Suzee's mother, Clara, is speaking for the Healers. She's met Rosie and is eager to share medical knowledge with the UPP. There's a man named Jayar speaking for the Merchants and they're excited as well. The Guiders are concerned that they'll become obsolete if our dimensions are breached and the Artists don't want Yensidian culture disturbed."

"So, we're half and half?"

Cat shrugged. "Kind of. The Scientists and Officials aren't committing either way. If we can get the Elders to agree, we're set, but they do take into consideration all the other guilds."

Mandarian paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "If we offered some security to the Artists that we would not compromise their culture, would they agree?"

Cat repeated the question to Suzee. After a pause, Suzee replied.

"Suzee says she thinks the Artists would agree, but how would we enforce the offer?"

"By not allowing immigrants to settle in Yensid and by limiting the tourist trade," Mandarian replied.

Cat told Suzee and she smiled. "We have the Artists and the Elders are starting to agree."

"Excellent," Mandarian smiled. "We'll have a job for you in no time, Ambassador."

Catalina felt excitement bubbling up inside her again as she turned to listen to the rest of Suzee's presentation.

**********

Clito hummed to herself as she examined her plants in the botanical garden she and Professor Oakly had set up during Clito's first years at Starcademy. Since then, the small garden had grown into a relative jungle, with other students helping to keep it neat. It was used for research in biology classes as well as a place to grow certain vegetables only found on certain planets, for some of the more exotic cadets at the school. Clito stepped back and admired the garden for what she expected to be the final time. After graduation, she would be leaving Starcademy and probably never returning.

The doors opened and Catalina came running in. Clito could tell by her smile that she had good news. Cat flew through the garden, brushing vines and flowers out of her way and stopped breathless in front of Clito. 

"Guess what?" Cat asked.

"The Yensidians agreed to open trade?" Clito guessed.

Catalina frowned. "You were supposed to guess wrong!"

"Sorry."

Cat stepped back from her friend and help her arms open. "You're looking at the new Yensidian Ambassador of the UPP."

"Congratulations!" Clito exclaimed, embracing her friend. "That's terrific!"

"The only catch is I have to set up office in Yensid," Cat replied. "It's no big deal, since I've lived there before, but I won't see you guys as often."

"I know how you feel," Clito said, sitting on a stool by a lab table. "I just got word from Fenton on Neptune. My mother is dead and my sister, Amphitrite, has abdicated the throne and fled the planet."

"That means – " Cat began.

Clito nodded. "I'm the new Queen of Atlantica. My transport leaves after graduation for the coronation."

Catalina sat next to her friend. "Harlan will be in space on the _Excaliber_, I'll be in Yensid, Rosie and Bova will be on Starbase 7, you'll be ruling Atlantica, and no one knows where Radu's disappeared to. It looks like the space cases are breaking apart, once and for all."

**********

Lord Kairn was escorted into the meeting room. Elmira was already seated at the head of the table, dressed in regal blue robes and holding her head high. Radu remained in his usual position behind her, his wounds healed. He fixed Kairn with a steady gaze, as if daring him to attack Elmira. Kairn returned the gaze coolly and sat at the table, his own guards behind him.

As far as Spung go, Kairn was handsome. He was thin and muscular, with brown eyes and a light green complexion. He dressed in the common attire of a lesser noble, with a shiny breastplate on his chest to show his status as a warrior. He bowed to Elmira and she inclined her head in greeting.

"Welcome, Lord Kairn," Elmira said. 

"Sirrola," Kairn replied. "Why have you summoned me?"

"I seek what is best for the Spung," Elmira began. "With my brother on the throne, the safety and security of the Empire would be compromised by his desire for war. Eventually, the Spung would perish and the Empire collapse. I want to stop that before it happens."

"But you are female," Kairn objected. "Even if you were to beat out Shett, the people would not accept a female emperor."

"Empress," Elmira corrected. "That is where you come in, my lord. I wish to form an alliance between us. I have been told that you do not desire the throne, but have intentions similar to mine."

Kairn nodded. "It is true that I would not like perpetual war in our Empire, but asking me to allow a female to take the throne is unthinkable."

"I am an oracle," she said. "I have see the future of the Spung Empire with the next emperor. I do not know if that emperor is you, or Shett, but I know the result will be the same."

Kairn laughed. "Fairy tales," he said.

Elmira threw a handful of sparkly dust in the air. Her head lolled forward and she seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. Radu watched her warily. Suddenly, her head came up and she stared at Kairn.

"Pestilence, famine, death, and disease, war with out cause and slowest of speeds. Sorrow, depression, lost and alone, these things will pass should an emperor seize the throne."

Elmira's head fell forward again. Kairn blinked as he repeated the prediction in his mind. Elmira sat up and took a deep breath. She pushed a button next to her chair and the prophecy repeated itself.

"I have never been wrong before, my lord," Elmira said. 

Kairn nodded. "I do not doubt that, sirrola. Perhaps we should talk more about this alliance."

**********

Harlan, Catalina, Clito, Rosie, and Bova stood in a long line that stretched down the halls of Starcademy and into the cafeteria. The graduating class was being fitted for robes for the upcoming ceremony and placements were being finalized by teachers and councilors. Harlan bounced up and down with impatience as the line slowly moved ahead. He had been spending all his free time with Captain Davies aboard the _Excaliber_ and was becoming more and more excited about his placement. 

"Has anyone heard from Radu?" Catalina asked suddenly. "He should be here."

"I got a message from him yesterday," Rosie said. "He's at the Spung Homeworld with Elmira helping her become the next Empress."

Harlan laughed. "Now that's something I never thought I'd hear."

"Will he be back in time for the ceremony?" Clito asked.

Rosie shrugged. "I hope so. He said Elmira should know if she won or not in the next few days. Graduation is next week, so he should be back in time."

"If not, I guess we'll never see him again," Bova said. "Everyone's leaving right after graduation."

Bova's casual remark silenced the group. While they were all excited about starting their new careers, none of them felt ready to end this part of their lives.

"Next," someone called.

Harlan stepped up to get his measurements taken for the graduation robe, all the while wondering how his life was going to change.

**********

Radu paced outside the meeting room. Elmira and Kairn had been hammering out the details of their alliance for the past three hours, without anyone else's input. Dirge had long since given up waiting and had gone down to the Spung Homeworld to try and rally more people to Elmira. 

The doors finally opened and Kairn came out, looking pleased. He motioned to his guards to follow him, bowed once to Elmira, and made his way to the docking bay. Elmira stood in the doorway and watched him leave. Radu moved to her side.

"Well?" he asked.

Elmira nodded. "We only need one other vote to secure my throne. Kairn has agreed to let me rule as Empress."

Radu smiled and hugged Elmira tightly. Elmira returned the embrace somewhat hesitantly before pushing herself free. Radu stepped back and the sirrola marched down the hallway to her quarters, leaving a confused Andromedan behind.

**********

Two days later, the lesser lord called council to announce their decision. Shett, Elmira, and Kairn stood on the balcony of the Imperial Palace, overlooking a large crowd of Spung. The lesser lords introduced each of the candidates and motioned for silence.

Radu stood behind Elmira, dressed in a black uniform that was not unlike his Starcademy one. He watched Shett carefully, expecting him to attack Elmira at any time. Kairn also watched Elmira, only Radu thought he saw a self satisfied smirk on the noble's face.

"Citizens of the Spung," the Council leader announced, "it is with great honour that I proclaim our new monarch to be Sirrola Elmira, Imperial daughter of Warlord Shank."

The crowd booed and began to yell cat calls as Elmira stepped forward to be recognized. There were, however, some cheers, indicating that not all Spung were opposed to a female ruler.

"The time of prophecy is upon us," the Council leader continued. "With an oracle to lead and guide us, the Spung shall rise to a higher level of existence, where we will benefit and prosper."

One of the lesser lords placed the crown on Elmira's head and she looked coolly down at her people. Shett stood in the corner, fuming, and Radu continued to watch him carefully.

Elmira held up her hands and the crowd quieted. "Fellow Spung," she said. "Think of me not as a female who has stolen the crown, but as the first ruler of the Golden Age of the Spung, who will bring peace and prosperity to our Empire."

The crowd cheered. Shett stared at his sister for another minute, then turned and left the balcony.

**********

Elmira moved into the Imperial Palace immediately. She appointed Dirge as her Prime Minister and gave the other rebels high offices as well. She occupied the rooms she had once had under her uncle and had begun to reform the Spung society at once.

Radu found her sitting in her throne room, talking quietly with Lord Kairn. The Empress looked unhappy at something Kairn was saying, and Radu cleared his throat politely to get their attention. Elmira looked up and smiled.

"I have to be going, Elmira," Radu said. "I had no idea your favour would last this long."

Elmira laughed. "Thank you, Radu, and I hope after your graduation you will consider returning here and remaining Lord Protector."

"Perhaps, your Majesty," Radu said with a bow. 

Elmira rose and walked over to him. Before he could say a word, she kissed him passionately on the mouth. She broke away and looked at him.

"Remember, our destiny is to be together," she whispered. "Never forget."

Radu nodded dumbly and turned to leave

**********

"Welcome, graduating class!"

The cadets cheered as Principal Ravenshire tried to deliver her speech. Radu sat between Harlan and Rosie, watching the principal speak. He knew that a few rows behind him, his parents and sister were also watching and were very proud of him.

The ceremony lasted several hours, with numerous speeches and award presentations before the diplomas were given out. The entire class then met in the cafeteria for a small party as a final farewell to Starcademy.

Radu stood with Catalina and Clito, watching the people mingle. His parents were speaking with Admiral Cody who was congratulating Arista on becoming the new Governor of New Andromeda. Still, in light of everything that had happened, Radu was happy.

"So, Elmira's the new Empress of the Spung?" Catalina said.

Radu nodded. "The people don't seem too pleased, though. I'm going to go back there until she has everything under control."

"When do you leave for Yensid?" Clito asked.

"I'm going to Starbase 4 to help set up the portal tomorrow," Cat said. "Once it's stable, I'll be leaving for good."

"Remember to call before you go," Clito said.

Cat nodded. "Of course."

Harlan came over to join the small group with his mother. Mrs. Band held her son's arm tightly, her face glowing with pride.

"My baby's a StarDog," she said, "and will soon be a Captain, just like his father."

"Mom," Harlan groaned. 

In a small, quiet corner of the party, Rosie and Bova were talking. Of their group of space cases, they were the only ones who would remain together. Bova sipped his drink and cleared his throat nervously. Rosie turned to look at him.

"Uh, Rosie?" he stammered. "I was wondering, well, since we're going to the same place and all . . . "  
"What is it, Bova?"

"I just wanted you to know that . . I think you're the greatest, Rosie and when you met Mattar, I thought I would lose you forever."

Rosie blinked back a tear at the mention of Matter, the Mercurian who had died saving her from Warlord Shett. Bova blushed when he saw that mentioning Matt had made her sad. He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes.

"I don't want to almost lose you again, Rosie. I care about you too much."

Rosie smiled. "I care about you, too, Bova. Ever since that first day on the Christa when you dove down the jumptubes to try and save me."

Bova returned the smile and held Rosie's hand tighter. Around them the party continued, but they were oblivious to it, caught up in their own happiness.

**********

Radu waved good bye to Catalina as her transport left Starcademy. The _Excaliber_ had left a few hours earlier and Clito, Rosie, and Bova had gone the previous day. Radu's family had left right after the graduation after Radu had explained what he had to do. Udar had left him a small ship as a present and Radu had discovered that he could live aboard it quite comfortably for long periods of time. Now, Radu took one last, lingering look at Starcademy before boarding his ship and leaving the school forever.

As he flew to the Spung Homeworld, he tuned into the UPP Spatial News Report that was broadcast all over UPP space. 

"And in other news, the Spung Empire has a new ruler. Sirrola Elmira, daughter of the dreaded Warlord Shank, has taken the throne of the Spung. The UPP has high hopes that this ruler will respond to UPP peace offers more readily than previous rulers. The new Empress, who is being wed this afternoon, was once . . "

Radu blinked and stared at the radio. Elmira getting married? He found that tears came to his eyes as he soared into Spung space.

"Unidentified vessel, state your purpose," a familiar voice said.

"Xemo?" Radu asked.

"My Lord Protector," Xemo said bitterly. "Nice of you to come back. I'm sure the Empress will be pleased."

"What's this I hear of Elmira being married?"

Xemo laughed. "You didn't think that you'd get to marry her, did you? An Andromedan and a Spung Empress? She has married Lord Kairn as was outlined in their alliance agreement."

Radu turned off the communications and turned his ship around. Elmira had known all along that she would have to marry Kairn. Was her affection towards Radu just pretend? Was she using him? Radu felt himself filling with anger towards the Spung as all his dreams of happiness were crushed. 

He increased his speed and sped away from the Spung border as fast as possible, heading out into deep space, far from the UPP. As he flew, Radu hoped with all his heart that he would never see another Spung again, not even his beloved' Elmira.

END


	14. The Eye of the Future

THE EYE OF THE FUTURE

PROLOGUE

_The eye of the future sees them. Twenty years after graduating from Starcademy, the space cases have risen into the ranks of the UPP. There is peace with the Spung under the Golden Rule of Empress Elmira, and an age of calmness in the universe has begun. Harlan Band, Catalina, Rosie Ianni, Bova, Suzee, and Radu, united by ties stronger than love; ties that, until now, no one thought could ever be broken . . . _

**********

The ship drifted, far from the borders of UPP space. It was dark and appeared lifeless, abandoned perhaps, or jettisoned by a larger ship. The markings on the hull showed it was a UPP light cruiser, but a very old model, at least twenty years.

The ship moved without reason, casting its fate to the stars that twinkled around it. It might be pulled into the gravity of a nearby asteroid, or smashed by a rogue comet, but it didn't seem to care, nor did its owner.

Gyana spotted it while she was some distance away, sensing a disturbance in the spatial waves rather than seeing the ship itself. She wondered why a ship would be so far from any civilized system and decided to see if it was in distress. She teleported herself until she was just outside of scanner range and stopped. The ship appeared dead in space.

"Curious," Gyana muttered to herself, a habit she had picked up during her time among the planet dwellers.

She came closer and the ship powered itself up. The shields came on-line and the weapons system keyed itself to her location. Gyana glanced at the lasers and saw that they were not part of the original ship, but had been added on later. Sensing the hostility of the person onboard, Gyana teleported herself far away.

The ship seemed to come alive as its engines suddenly exploded and the ship took off deeper into uncharted space.

**********

Empress Elmira of the Spung sat regally on her throne. Beside her, her husband, Lord Kairn, reviewed the days reports. Elmira insisted on holding open court with her subjects, allowing them to bring to her any problems they felt needed an Imperial decision. There were rarely any problems, however, and the court never lasted long. 

As the first case ended, a messenger ran into the room. He bowed as he stumbled to a stop in front of Elmira's throne.

"What is it?" Elmira asked.

"Majesty," the messenger stammered. "I bring grave news from our Outer Rim colonies. They have been attacked and are begging for help."

The Outer Rim was the name given to the very edge of UPP space, recently expanded with the joining of the Spung Empire to the union. It held around a hundred planets, most of them occupied by colonists from various planets.

"Who has attacked them?"

"I don't know, Majesty. A large ship, larger than our kill cruisers, came out of hyperspace in the planet's atmosphere and began firing on the colonies. They gave no warning and made no demands."

Elmira looked at Kairn and nodded slightly. Her husband, Imperial Warlord of the Spung, quickly took action.

"Send a unit of kill cruisers to the colonies to help," Kairn ordered one of the lesser lords standing nearby.

"Find out who we're dealing with and what they want," Elmira added. "We may be able to come to an agreement."

"Majesty, is that wise?" the lord asked. "They are attempting to destroy us. We should crush them at once."

Elmira smiled. "You are reverting to our old ways, my lord. As long as I am Empress, there will be peace in the Empire."

The lesser lord bowed and left to fulfill his orders. The messenger was escorted out of the throne room for further questioning. Elmira turned to look at the Ambassador from the UPP. The Spung had joined the UPP three years earlier, and now had a full time advisor keeping the UPP's interests in mind. The Ambassador was a young Mercurian named Suni and, upon meeting her three years ago, Elmira could have sworn the Ambassador was the young Rosie she had once known. 

"Will the UPP help us defend our colonists?" Elmira asked.

"If you have need of assistance, the UPP will grant it," Suni answered. "I will, however, need to speak with the Admiral."

"Please do," Elmira agreed. "Court is adjourned."

Suni bowed and left the throne room for her own quarters.

**********

"This is Suni, Ambassador to the Spung. I wish to speak with the Admiral, please."

"One moment."

Suni sat back and stared at the screen. She found herself growing impatient as the UPP logo circled her videophone screen and played old music. She hated being on hold. 

Suddenly, the logo disappeared and Suni was faced with a man of about forty years old. He had short black hair streaked with gray, dark skin and brown eyes that twinkled with intelligence and mischief.

"What can I do for you, Suni?" he asked.

Suni saluted. "Admiral Band, the Spung have come under attack. Their outer colonies have been destroyed."

Admiral Harlan Band nodded thoughtfully. "Understood. There have been a number of reports from colonies along the Outer Rim near Uranus as well as deeper in space. The Spung colonists aren't the only ones to be hit."

"They're handling it right now, but the Empress would like reassurance that, should the Spung need assistance, the UPP would help."

"Of course," the Admiral said. "Right now, most of our fleet is helping the Uranusian colony, but all the reports tell me the threat is almost wiped out."

"Sir, isn't that the colony near Starbase 7?"

Admiral Band nodded. "The Starbase has been temporarily converted into a hospital and supply station. There's been steady fighting there for over five months. Don't worry, Suni. I'm sure your family's fine."

Suni smiled. "I hope so. Suni out."

The image of Admiral Band vanished and eighteen year old Suni Ianni wondered how her parents were faring. 

**********

The medlab of Starbase 7 was crawling with injured soldiers and colonists. The attack had come swiftly and silently five and a half months ago, killing thousands as the first few torpedoes hit. The few fighter pilots stationed at the remote Starbase had slowed down the attack somewhat, but the alien invaders continued to pound the planet daily.

Chief Medical Officer Rosie Ianni made her rounds again. She and her staff of about fifty doctors had their hands full. Rosie felt like the last time she had slept the entire night was back on the Christa, while she and her dearest friends had been lost in space. Now, she was almost forty years old, married, and a mother, and had the health of an entire Starbase to keep her busy. 

"Take over," Rosie called to her second-in-command. "I'm going to take a break."

"Good," the young doctor replied. "You've been here for three days straight."

Rosie smiled wearily and left the medlab. She made her way to the central café where the off duty officers usually met. She wove her way through the tables and sat across from her husband. He looked up from the compupad he had been reading and smiled. Rosie admired the change she had instilled in him. He was now a happy, optimistic person instead of the grump he had once been.

"Long time, no see," Bova said.

Rosie sighed. "We have got to stop the fighting."

Bova shrugged. "I wish it were that easy. These guys don't give up. We've captured a few of them, so we should be getting some answers soon about who they are and what they want."

"Almost six months of fighting an unknown enemy," Rosie said. She was silent for a moment. "Let's talk about something else."

Commander Bova of Starbase 7 put down the compupad to stare at his wife. "I still haven't answered Cat's letter."

Rosie groaned. "I forgot! She and Suzee invited us to Yensid for the weekend, didn't they? Can we go?"

"I can get someone to replace me, how about you?"

"With the steady stream of injured, I think we need all the hands we can get," Rosie answered.

"We haven't been off this station since we got married," Bova said. "I'll talk to Harlan and see if he can arrange for a few more doctors to come. That should relieve some of your duties."

Rosie smiled. "You always have an answer."

Bova leaned in and kissed her. "And that's why you love me. We'll call Suni, too and she if she can get away from Elmira long enough to visit. It's been three years."

Rosie nodded. "Okay. We'll go. It'll be good to see the gang together again."

"Except Radu," Bova said.

Rosie nodded somberly. Radu had disappeared from UPP space twenty years ago, after their graduation from Starcademy. No one had seen him since. Rosie forced a smile and stood.

"I'll go call Cat now," she said.

"Good idea," Bova said. He sat back and watched his wife leave.

**********

Rosie sat at Bova's desk, staring at the blank videophone screen. Her husband's casual comment about Radu had brought up worries she hadn't felt in years. She had loved him once, when he had been gentle and sweet, caring and sensitive; before all the hardships. Rosie remembered watching Radu grow up and turn hard, losing his innocence and that charm that had made him so attractive. She couldn't imagine what had happened to make him give up everything he held dear, but she knew it had to have been important.

"Twenty years," Rosie sighed. "Could I forgive him?"

She brushed the memories aside and thought about all the good that was in her life. She had a wonderfully caring husband, a beautiful daughter, and a job doing what she loved. Smiling, she dialed Catalina's number on Yensid.

"Good morning, you have reached the UPP Embassy on Yensid. The office is closed for the day — "

Rosie quickly put in Cat's extension, hoping to catch her working late. She was greeted a few seconds later by her friend's familiar face.

Diplomatic Ambassador Catalina had aged gracefully. Although they had kept in touch, it had been nearly ten years since Rosie had seen her old friend. Catalina, now almost 45 years old, wore her hair in a French twist like most Yensidians and was wearing the orange uniform of an Official underneath her UPP jacket. She smiled at Rosie.

"Wow, Rosie! You were the last person I expected to see. How are things at the edge of the universe?" she said cheerfully.

"Hectic," Rosie answered. "The Outer Rim colonies have been under attack for months. I'm up to my elbows in casualties."

Cat's smile faded. "Are you and Bova okay?"

"We're fine, but we could you a vacation."

The smile returned. "So, you're coming?"

Rosie nodded. "Provided that Harlan can send someone to replace me. I'm going to see if Suni will come too. I worry about her spending so much time around Spung. They're not all nice, like Elmira and Dirge."

"It'd be nice to see Suni again. Is she still shorting out the station?"

Rosie laughed. Her daughter's unique parentage made her resemble a Mercurian, but instead of heat powers, she inherited her father's ability to absorb and release electricity. As a child, her experiments with her growing power had resulted in the Starbase losing power — on several occasions.

"Is Suzee around?" Rosie asked.

"No, she's been gone for almost a year, charting dimensions. She promised to be back for the weekend, though."

"Heard from Radu?" Rosie said, knowing the answer.

Cat shook her head. "Sorry."

They spoke for several more minutes, finalizing plans before saying a regretful farewell. Rosie sighed and pushed all thoughts of Radu from her mind. She stood and left her home to return to the wounded.

**********

The invading ships pounded ruthlessly at the Spung colonies of the Outer Rim. They had a fleet of ships like no other, with technology that was far more advanced than the UPP. The largest of the ships hung back inside the planet's orbit while smaller, heavily armed ships swept down to the planetary surface to destroy any signs of colonization. They made no demands, nor asked for surrender. They simply attacked.

The UPP light cruiser sailed towards the stationary ships that orbited the planet. It raised its shields in defense, but made no threats. 

"UPP craft, state your intentions," the largest of the fleet said. The voice spoke broken Basic and was heavily accented.

"I am a mercenary craft, no longer associated with the UPP," the light cruiser's pilot responded. "I seek employment."

The voice didn't reply for several minutes. The mercenary waited patiently.

"We accept your offer," it said. "We are the Kaesar and we fight to reclaim what is ours. Fight, and you will be rewarded. Die, and you die with honour."

"I accept your terms," the mercenary said. "When do I begin."

"Immediately."

**********

Admiral Harlan Band, head of the UPP, stepped off his personal ship and into the landing bay of Starbase 4. Around him, the personnel of the station snapped to attention. Admiral Band smiled to himself and waved to the crew.

"At ease," he called. "I'm not here for an inspection."

The crew gave a nervous laugh and the Admiral followed his guide into the Starbase. 

"Harlan!" someone exclaimed.

Before he knew what hit him, someone was in his arms. Admiral Band looked down and saw a small, pink person hugging him fondly. He raised his head and saw a Uranusian standing a few feet away.

"Rosie?" Harlan said. "Good to see you!"

Rosie detached herself from her old friend and saluted him. Laughing, Harlan returned the salute and moved to greet Bova. The Uranusian Commander seemed unsure of the proper greeting as the Admiral approached, but Harlan forgot protocol and engulfed his friend in a large hug. 

"Bova, how's married life treating you?"

Bova smiled and blushed. Rosie took his hand. "Just fine," she answered for him. "Suni should be here any time now."

"I spoke to her a little while ago," Harlan said. "It amazes me how much she looks like you, Rosie."

Rosie smiled. "I always said looks ran in my side of the family."

Bova rolled his eyes and Harlan laughed.

"Mother!" 

Rosie held out her arms as Suni flew into them. Bova joined his family and Harlan watched in amusement. He had never married, pursuing his career instead of worrying about a family. After the deaths of his step-father and mother, Harlan began to gain a sense of his own mortality. Now, as he watched Rosie and Bova embrace their daughter, he felt genuine regret that he had never settled down.

"The portal's ready, sir," one of the Starbase crew said.

"Where does it lead?" Harlan asked. "It's been quite a few years since I've left this dimension."

"It should take you into the UPP Embassy, sir," the crewman replied. "Ambassador Catalina will meet you there."

Harlan nodded approvingly and offered Rosie his hand. She took it and they stepped into the shimmering doorway. Bova gripped his daughter's arm tightly and they followed.

**********

Catalina had a lovely picnic spread out in the park, just outside of the busy market. She wore a long orange sundress in the Yensidian summer heat and a large sun hat to match. Rosie wore shorts and a sleeveless blouse, with Harlan and Bova wearing shorts and a short sleeved shirt. Eighteen year old Suni looked stunning in a short, blue, sleeveless dress and caught the attention of many Yensidian boys as they walked through the park. Suni seemed to enjoy the attention after spending nearly three years straight in the Spung court, but Bova glared at the boys menacingly. 

"I hear you're something of a legend here, Mom and Dad," Suni said as she helped Catalina set out the food.

"Hardly that," Rosie replied modestly.

"You only saved the entire dimension from a deadly plague," a new voice said from behind them.

They turned to see Suzee, dressed in the blue jumpsuit of the Guiders, standing behind them. She looked very much the same as she did in her youth, with short rainbow streaked hair and blue eyes. Her face reflected her 46 years of life, however, and the youthful glow and overconfidence that had once surrounded her was gone.

"Suzee, glad you could make it," Catalina said casually. "Cutting it close though."

Suzee rolled her eyes. "Come on, Cat. You know how hard it is to get out of a dimension without precise calculations. This thing still isn't perfect."

The thing' Suzee was talking about was a portable portal maker. She had invented it based on the plans of the portal Bova had helped create. The person holding it only had to program a destination, push a button, and walk into the portal. However, as Suzee said, it wasn't perfect. 

Suzee joined the group and they began to eat. Birds flew overhead while everyone listened to the stories Suzee had of the various dimensions she had visited. Later, after much prompting from Suni, they spoke about their adventures on the Christa during their youth.

Suddenly, a beeping noise came from Harlan's bag and he pulled out his compupad. As the others watched, he scanned the message. He closed his eyes and passed a tired hand over his face, suddenly looking old. 

"What is it?" Suzee asked, breaking the silent tension.

"The Outer Rim colonies have fallen," Harlan said. "The attack is coming deeper into UPP space."

Rosie gasped and Suni looked sharply to her mother, then back to the Admiral.

"What are we going to do, Uncle Harlan?" Suni asked. She then realized what she had said and blushed. "I mean, Admiral, sir."

Harlan smiled. "When we're off duty, I can be Uncle Harlan again, Suni. I remember what it was like calling my step-father Admiral'. As to what we're going to do, we have no choice but to mobilize the fleet."

"You mean — " Rosie began.

Harlan nodded. "The UPP is going to war."

**********

The mercenary craft sped towards the surface. It armed its forward lasers and began to pound ruthlessly at the Spung colonies below. Around it, the smaller crafts of the Kaesar joined the assault. The mercenary, known by the name DogStar, smiled as he watched the Spung colonists run in fear.

"Where is your Empress now?" he muttered as he fired again.

Another few buildings exploded, killing the colonists who fled for their lives. DogStar smiled grimly as his communications device sprang to life.

"Mercenary ship," the Kaesar commander ordered. "Withdraw to the planet's orbit. We have triumphed here."

Regretfully, DogStar piloted his ship into the planet's atmosphere, leaving behind him a destroyed civilization.

**********

Gyana sailed through space, surveying the carnage left by the Kaesar invasion. Although she could not see the rubble on the planet's surface, craters and smoke marked the Kaesar's passing. She had vowed before not to interfere with planet dwellers again, ever since her capture by the space pirate Reaver over twenty years ago. Still, she could not allow the invaders to continue or she would be going against her Guardian nature. Picking up on the distorted spatial waves, she followed the fleet.

She caught up with the largest of the ships as they settled into orbit around Revtor, another planet of the Spung Empire. Gyana waited out of scanner range and wondered why this alien race wold attack the UPP on its westernmost border. As she surveyed their fleet, she spotted a UPP light cruiser. Gyana blinked in surprise, looked closer, and realized it was the same ship she had spotted before. The Guardian teleported a safe distance away and turned her communicator to UPP frequency.

"Enemy fleet outside Revtor. Attack imminent."

She set the message on continuous repeat and sat back to wait for the attack.

Hours later, a flurry of small ships sped to the planet. Gyana used the spatial waves to spin ships off their flight paths and into other ships, crippling or destroying them. Wrapping her cloak tightly around her, she put herself into the fleet, willing her cloak to conceal her from the ship's scanners. From there, she managed to alter the paths of laser fire, destroying several more crafts. Finally, too exhausted to cause any more damage, Gyana tried to get away from the fleet. She found she was too weak to teleport and she could no longer keep herself invisible. As the lead ship spotted her, she could sense its weapons locking onto her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end to come, but it didn't. Gyana opened her eyes and saw the UPP light cruiser hovering between her and the lead ship. The light cruiser herded her away from the fleet, moving slowly. When they were a safe distance away, the cruiser hailed her.

"Stay out of this, Guardian," a familiar voice ordered.

"Who are you, who fight the UPP but flies in their ship?" Gyana asked.

"I am called DogStar and I fight the Spung."

"I sense anger and sadness in you," Gyana said. "You have compassion and gentleness, but anger has taken from you all you loved."

DogStar made no reply. He simply turned his ship around, leaving Gyana alone in space. She watched the ship until it vanished from sight before heading to a nearby asteroid belt to rest.

**********

Harlan stood in his office and stared at the holo-map that was projected before him. It showed the entire UPP, stretching beyond the SOL system to encompass the Andromeda galaxy as well as the Spung Empire. Harlan had also added to the map the positions where the alien invaders had struck, trying to find method in the madness. As far as he could tell, there was no pattern to the assaults. 

Every attack had been on a UPP colony in the Outer Rim, which were the planets that made up the farthest borders of UPP space. In every invasions, no prisoners had been taken and no alien colonists had been left. It seemed that all the invaders wanted was to destroy everything in their paths. News had filtered in from the Spung Empire, showing similar attacks. After the colonized planets had been wiped clean, the enemy fleet moved inward, deeper into UPP territory. 

"I think they're heading for the nerve center," Suzee remarked.

Harlan nodded, lost in thought. He had seen enough war to last him ten lifetimes, and he hoped that when peace was made with the Spung, that he would never see war again. Now, as Admiral of the UPP, he was in charge of the safety of every citizen within the United Planets; well over three hundred planets and species.

"But what do they want?" Harlan asked.

"Our space, I'd guess," Bova replied. "They seem to want the UPP destroyed."

"But they haven't attacked every colonized planet," Catalina remarked. She pointed to the map. "They missed three Saturnian settlements here and another Earther colony over there."

"But they wiped out every Spung colony they could find," Rosie added, "as well as the Uranusian colony near Starbase 7 and the Plutonian colony near Starbase 6."

"What do they want?" Harlan repeated.

"That's what we have to find out," Suzee answered. 

An ensign, recently graduated from Starcademy, knocked politely on Harlan's door. He saluted smartly as the Admiral turned.

"Sir, we've just intercepted a message on the emergency UPP frequency."

Harlan nodded. As the ensign left, Harlan pushed a few buttons on his desk and the message came through.

". . . imminent. Enemy fleet outside Revtor. Attack imminent . . Enemy fleet outside . ."

Harlan turned off the message and sighed. He sat down at his desk and began to chew on one of his pens.

"That sounded like Gyana," Catalina remarked.

Harlan nodded. "I gave her the emergency frequency to use in case she spotted anything amiss while she was patrolling."

"She works for the UPP?" Rosie asked.

"Not officially," Harlan answered. "Every Guardian needs a certain amount of space to patrol and I offered her UPP space."

"Clever," Suzee muttered approvingly.

Bova was analyzing the map. "Revtor is getting close to the Spung Homeworld," he commented. "We should warn Elmira."

"I will on my way back," Suni offered. "My transport's leaving in a few minutes anyway."

Rosie looked at her daughter in concern. "I don't want you to go there when an angry enemy fleet is camped outside."

Suni smiled. "Don't worry, Mom. Empress Elmira won't let anything happen. Beside, I still need another year to get enough credits to pass the diplomatic relations course I'm working on."

Rosie sighed. "She's following in your footsteps, Cat."

Catalina smiled at her niece'. "Just don't leave this dimension like I did."

"I won't," Suni promised. She kissed her mother good bye and hugged her father. "I'll be back before the fighting starts."

Harlan handed the girl a compupad that contained a warning to Elmira. Suni took it and hugged her uncle'. With a last wave, Suni left the room. Rosie sat down and Bova moved to stand next to her.

"I told Elmira that we'd send three transport ships full of fighters to help her," Harlan said. "That leaves about ten transports here to protect the nerve center'. The report from the Spung shows that they've got a larger enemy force than we've got, so I'm taking command of the lead ship."

Harlan turned to Bova. "I know you're a Starbase Commander, but I'd like you to lead the counter attack here."

Bova nodded. "If the reports weren't exaggerating the size of the assault, I'll need four full transports."

"You've got them. I'm leaving the defense of this Starbase as well as 2 and 3 to my second in command, a Venusian named Galileo. He'll keep them at bay should the fighting come this close. I'll also send word to Neptune and New Andromeda. We'll probably need reinforcements."

"What about us?" Catalina asked, gesturing to herself, Suzee, and Rosie.

"Cat and Suzee, I'd like you to come with me. Rosie, you can stay with Bova if you like, or return to the wounded at Starbase 7, or come with me."

Rosie thought about it for a second. "I'll come with you. If that's where the fighting is, you'll probably need me there the most."

Harlan nodded. "Let's get started. And good luck."

**********

At hyper speed, the small flotilla of transport ships arrived at Revtor in only a few days. Harlan stood on the bridge of the lead ship, _Chance_, with Rosie beside him. Catalina had assumed command of the _Goddard_, and Suzee had taken the _Christa II_. They flew in a V-formation past a small asteroid belt as they made their final approach to Revtor.

"You're too late," a voice said, ringing through the bridges of all three ships.

"Who's that?" Cat asked on the open channel that linked the flotilla.

The view screen flickered on and Cat saw an old friend hovering before her. Gyana looked weak and tired, her tail hanging limply beneath her and a small bandage tied around her arm. 

"The aliens have already destroyed the Spung colonies on Revtor and are heading for the Spung Homeworld. I tried to stop them, or at least slow them down, but there were too many. I should be dead right now."

"What happened?" Harlan asked. 

"A mercenary in a UPP class ship saved me. He brought me out here and warned me not to interfere. He called himself DogStar."

"Gyana, why don't you come on board?" Rosie said. "We'll get you rested and treat your wounds."

Gyana smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I'm afraid to sleep out here because of all the fighting. Would you open your airlock for me? I'm too weak to teleport myself right now."

Harlan nodded. "Of course. It's opening now."

Gyana smiled again and the transmission ended. The screen on the bridge of the _Chance_ split in half, with Catalina's face on one side and Suzee's on the other. Rosie left the bridge to see to Gyana.

"We'll head to the Spung Homeworld," Harlan decided. "Elmira must be warned and if they're hiring mercenaries, we should be careful around friendly-looking crafts as well."

Cat and Suzee nodded. The screen went dark and Harlan sighed. He gave his orders to the helmsman and retreated to his quarters to rest.

**********

Elmira had begun evacuating the floating Spung Homeworld almost immediately after Suni arrived with the message. The Spung fleet was begin mobilized to protect the Homeworld and large colonization ships were being sent to the SOL system, full of refugees. 

Elmira paced around her throne room. Her husband had gone to check on the city's defenses, leaving Elmira to deal with the civilians. Suni watched the Empress walk back and forth, worried that Elmira would not leave before the attack came.

"Majesty," Suni said, "we should leave. Nothing will stop the aliens, and there's no way the UPP reinforcements will get here before the invaders do."

"My place is here, with my people," Elmira said absently.

"Empress, you're not even listening."

"I will not leave."

Suni sighed. "At least move to the moon that hold the old rebel base. It's well hidden."

Elmira turned. "From there, I would not see what is happening for half the day. The moon orbits the planet while the Homeworld remains stationary."

"But you'll be safe."

"But my people will be dying."

Suni and Elmira stared at each other for a moment. Elmira sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Lord Dirge," she called to her Prime Minister.

"Yes, Majesty?" Dirge replied.

"Escort the UPP Ambassador to the evacuation ship. Do not leave until she is on board. If we are to die, I cannot take Rosie and Bova's only child with us."

Dirge bowed and turned to Suni.

"Elmira," Suni called.

The Empress turned. Suni could see how tired and distressed she was. Nevertheless, the ruler of the Spung appeared strong and untouched by the chaos around her.

"Good luck," Suni said.

Elmira waved as Dirge took Suni out of the Imperial Palace.

**********

The Spung Homeworld appeared on DogStar's screens and he smiled. The mercenary had waited a long time for this, practically counting the days since he had last seen this place. He brushed a stray lock of blond hair from his face and narrowed his blue eyes. He smiled and the scar that ran from his chin to his cheek stretched taunt, making him appear more menacing. 

"Honey," he said to himself, "I'm home."

**********

The attack came quickly. The Spung fleet spread out to defend the Homeworld, which lay sheltered in a large shield. The invaders let lose their small fighters, and the Spung did the same. DogStar joined the fray, adding his improvised firepower to the Kaesar invaders. The mercenary let out a whoop of joy as he destroyed several Spung ships; he could not remember the last time he had enjoyed himself so much. 

The fight lasted for hours, with neither side gaining an advantage. DogStar found himself growing bored of the fighting and decided to attack the shield generator for the planet, if he could get inside the shield. He skimmed as close as he dared to the shield surface, his scanners working hard to find weaknesses. 

"All ships, fall back!" the Kaesar lead ship yelled. "Rear attack!"

DogStar swung around to see what the commotion was about. He was surprised to see more fighters joining the battle, and they all bore the marks of the UPP. DogStar hailed the Kaesar lead ship.

"I'm not hitting the UPP," he said. "I agreed to fight Spung."

"Return to the battle or be destroyed," the Kaesar warned.

"I want to be paid for my services and leave in peace," DogStar said, "or else I'll tell the UPP your plans."

The lead ship leveled its guns at the small mercenary craft. "Fight or die."

DogStar headed back into the fight. "Alright, alright. Keep your pants on."

**********

Admiral Band flew at the head of the assault. He felt like a Starcademy cadet again, only this time he was helping the Spung instead of destroying them. With expert efficiency, Harlan targeted the strange alien crafts and destroyed them with a single laser blast.

"UPP reinforcements," the Spung Warleader said over the comm. system. "This is Spung Warleader Kairn."

"Admiral Band here," Harlan replied.

"Thank you for your timely assistance," the Warleader said.

"Any time," Harlan answered. "It's one of the perks of the UPP."

Harlan cut the transmission and continued blasting.

**********

DogStar watched the fight for a few moments, trying to figure out how the UPP were attacking. He saw there were three squads of fighters, each commanded by a different ship. Tapping some buttons on the control board of his modified cruiser, DogStar scanned each lead ship to see what he was up against.

All three ships were said to be part of the Admiral's private fleet. DogStar used some of his stolen technology to zoom in on the pilots of each craft. The first squad was being led by the Admiral himself, while the other two were led by two women, both of whom seemed Saturnian. DogStar blinked in surprise and rejoined the battle.

**********

Rosie and Gyana stood on the bridge of the _Chance_, watching the fight. The Guardian had slept continuously since they had picked her up and had regained almost all her strength. She watched the battle with great interest. Suddenly, an explosion illuminated the screen.

"The Admiral's been hit!" someone exclaimed.

"_Goddard One_ is going down, too!" another crew member reported.

"_Starling One_ is losing power fast."

"Oh dear!" Rosie gasped as she watched her oldest friends come to their deaths.

Gyana stepped closer to the screen and scanned it with her eyes, searching for something. When she found it, she pointed to each of the lead ships, and closed her eyes. She remained motionless for a second, before collapsing to the ground. Rosie rushed to the Guardian's side. Three large blasts rocked the ship, and Rosie realized that Harlan, Catalina, and Suzee's ships were now floating debris. Cradling Gyana's head in her arms, Rosie cried.

**********

"Oh, my head," Harlan moaned. 

The ship he found himself in suddenly lurched as it was hit by another shot. Harlan was thrown against someone else and he looked down to see Catalina, with Suzee beside her. They were both unconscious, but seemed unhurt.

The ship shook again and Harlan heard muted curses coming from behind a closed door. Curiously, he cracked the door open and peeked inside.

The command post of the small cruiser was a mess of control boards, lights, and wires. The captain of the ship was seated in the middle, frantically pushing buttons as UPP ships blasted him on all sides. Harlan could see out of the two large windows where his fleet was positioned and a chill passed through him.

_We're in an enemy ship_, he thought. Then, as an afterthought, he wondered, _how did we get here?_

The pilot had a long mass of tangled blond hair that was being held back in a loose ponytail and nearly touched the floor. Harlan could see he wore black gloves and a dark gray flight suit. Curiousity overcoming fear, Harlan crept forward to uncover the identity of the pilot. He reached out with one hand to spin the captain's chair around. He met his saviour eye to eye.

DogStar blinked in shock, momentarily forgetting everything around him. The battle, the Kaesar, the Spung, everything was absent from his mind. All he saw was the man before him.

"Harlan?" he said.

Admiral Band stared back, his eyes wide in surprise and alarm. Swallowing hard, Harlan managed to croak out:

"Radu?"

__

Here Ends Part One Of

Eye of the Future'


	15. Last Stand

LAST STAND

Radu licked his lips nervously as he stared into the face of his former best friend. The renegade Andromedan suddenly became aware of himself and almost blushed in embarrassment. For twenty years he had been roaming around the galaxy, earning money where he could, often by pirating or smuggling. In those long years, his appearance had changed. In his youth, Radu had kept his long, blond hair loose and clean, often showering twice a day. He used to have clear, innocent, blue eyes that saw only good, and a pure and untouched spirit that kept him kind. Now, he was twenty years wiser and no longer as immature as he had once been. His hair was dirty and tied into a loose ponytail that streamed down his back, nearly to the floor. His eyes were hardened by all he had seen and a scar ran from his right chin to his cheek, a constant reminder of the danger in his trade. His heart was cold and closed off; he refused to be close to anyone or anything again.

Harlan Band sank into the empty co-pilots chair, his eyes never leaving Radu's face. Radu remembered his last co-pilot and how he had been forced to kill her only a year ago. He had regretted killing her, since she had been very good at her job, but he had sworn loyalties to no one and she had threatened to turn him in. 

"I – I can't believe it," Harlan stammered at last.

Radu smiled, thinking about how Harlan had used to insult him when he had stuttered. Radu cocked his head slightly and heard Catalina and Suzee waking up. He still had no idea how his three former friends had arrived on his ship, but he knew he would eventually find out.

Catalina came out and her eyes widened as she saw him. Suzee followed, looking first at Catalina in confusion before following her friend's gaze to Radu's face. Radu's face remained unreadable, neither showing joy nor sorrow in rediscovering his friends.

"Radu!" Catalina gasped. 

Another shot hit their ship and Radu turned his attention back to the fight, ignoring his passengers. An alarm sounded.

"Shields are at twenty percent and falling," Radu muttered. "Terrific."

"Head to the UPP flagship," Harlan said.

Radu glared at him over his shoulder. "I don't think so, Admiral. I'm wanted by the UPP in three sectors and I'm not about to turn myself over to them."

Harlan blinked back a shocked look and sat back in his chair. Radu scanned the surrounding area for a place to hide. He spotted the isolated moonbase where he had once stayed, twenty years ago. 

Without bothering to inform his passengers, Radu swung the ship around and headed for the moon. He avoided the Spung base, landing instead on the far side that was still shadowed in the darkness of night. The moon was covered in dense vegetation, making landing difficult, but Radu managed to set his ship down. Catalina and Suzee were both thrown off their feet at the rough landing, but were unhurt. Radu powered his ship down and turned to the other three.

"I can give you supplies for a few days," he said. "If you walk far enough from my ship to prevent another ship from spotting her, you can contact your flagship to come and get you."

"Radu – " Catalina began.

Radu shook his head. "I'm not Radu. I'm called DogStar and I'm a mercenary, fighting against you. I don't know how you got into my ship, but I'm giving you a chance to leave."

Suzee put her hand on Radu's shoulder. "What happened to you?" she asked, staring into his eyes.

Radu glared at her and turned his head away. "No mind tricks, Suzee," he said softly.

Suzee straightened. "We're going to help you fix your ship. Then, we'll all leave together and you can explain where you've been the last twenty years."

"I give the orders on this ship!" Radu yelled, jumping to his feet. "I want nothing to do with my old life. Nothing! No friends, no family, no associations of any kind. I am no longer Andromedan. I no longer feel the ties of loyalty that I once did. I am not the Radu you know and I never will be again."

He stared at Suzee for another second before sitting down and turning back to his controls. Harlan and Catalina exchanged a look of concern.

"What about Rosie?" Catalina asked softly. "What about her? She's married, you know."

Radu lowered his head and slammed his fist down on the control pad. The strike was enough to leave an imprint in the metal. Without raising his head, he answered his friend.

"I don't care about Rosie, or anything. That Radu was weak and has died because of it. DogStar is strong and that's what I want to be. Leave now, or I'll be forced to do something all of us would regret. The supplies are in the back."

Harlan said nothing, but stood and moved to the back of the ship. He picked up a bag and began to put food, water, and a communications device in it. Suzee did the same, leaving Catalina staring in shock at the Andromedan. A tear slid down her cheek as she turned and followed Harlan and Suzee out of the airlock.

Radu heard them leave and took a deep breath. A part of him missed his friends, but the majority of him was over them and he was content to stay that way. He waited a few hours, until the sun rose over the moon, and then began to repair his ship.

**********

The transport ship that carried Suni and about two hundred Spung refugees shook as another laser struck their shields. Suni looked around her at the faces of the Spung and saw mothers holding terrified children and old men trying to look brave. She could see the fear in all of them and felt it herself. They had left the Spung Homeworld only a few short hours ago and had yet to break orbit. All around them, the fighting raged on, forcing the transport pilot to dodge enemy fire on all sides. 

Suni stood and walked to the bridge, where the ship was being piloted by an old Spung captain named Tarke. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker and Tarke began to push buttons while hissing curses under his breath.

"Electrical failure," he said. "Our generator has been damaged."

"Let me," Suni said.

She put her hands in the mass of wires that connected the generator to the controls until she found the wire she wanted. She used her Uranusian heritage to jumpstart the wires and power the ship. 

"Don't move," Tarke said. "I'm going to need all the energy I can get to break orbit and head for the UPP rendezvous point."

Suni nodded and sat on the floor. Her powers had never been tested like this before and she wondered how long she could hold out.

Another hit rocked the ship. "Shields gone!" Tarke said.

Another hit. "We're losing altitude!"

Suni gasped as the transport ship slammed through the Spung Homeworld's atmosphere and crashed into the city they had just left.

**********

Radu waited until the moon's orbit had taken it to the far side of the planet before lifting off. He had seen the UPP rescue ship come to take Harlan, Catalina, and Suzee back to their ships, but nothing had come close to him. Now, as he sailed back into space, Radu wondered how he was going to get paid for the services he had already given the Kaesar without rejoining their assault.

Radu's small craft crested the planet only to be confronted by one of the UPP's large transport ships. Judging by the markings, Radu saw it was the _Chance_, the Admiral's flagship. Cursing, Radu tried to avoid detection, but was too late. A high powered tractor beam latched onto the hull of his ship and dragged him into the holding bay. 

Once inside, the UPP guards swarmed his ship and pointed stun guns at him. Radu was much stronger than he had been in his youth, having reached full Andromedan maturity a few years ago. He managed to injure five soldiers before being shot. The room spun as Radu's knees gave in and he fell to the ground, blackness taking over his vision.

**********

Elmira was standing serenely in her throne room when word came to her that the defenses had fallen and the Homeworld was left vulnerable. She knew what was to come. The alien invaders would seize the city and all its inhabitants, perhaps killing them or holding them hostage. The UPP would attempt to negotiate the freedom of the floating city, but would fail. She knew that she would likely be held for ransom or publicly executed to plunge her people into despair. Without allowing her anger to show, she told her remaining ministers to take as many citizens as they could and flee the Homeworld. It was she who the aliens wanted, and she would remain to greet them. 

As the screams of terror and violence began around her, Elmira sat on her throne, her royal robes artfully arranged around her. She could feel the pain of her people as if the damage was being inflicted upon her, but could do nothing. She waited until she heard the sounds of soldiers running through the halls outside the throne room. Taking a deep breath, Empress Elmira, ruler of the Spung Empire, waited for her captors to break down the door.

**********

Suni shook her head and opened her eyes. She lay outside the transport wreckage, thrown from the ship as it hit the ground. She felt light-headed, but no pain as she rose to her feet to figure out where she was. As pain washed over her skull, she gingerly touched a finger to her temple and felt blood. Suni closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself and opened them to check the wreckage for survivors. It took only a few grisly moments to locate the bodies of all the Spung who had been on board. She saw no survivors at all. Suni turned her back to the smoldering wreck and looked around. Immediately, she knew she was back on the Spung Homeworld, in the poorer part of the city. She could see smoke rising from the area closer to the palace and wondered what was going on. Suni Ianni sighed and began the long walk from the wreckage to the Imperial palace.

**********

Radu was thrown roughly into a holding cell on one of the lower levels of the _Chance_. He was bound in handcuffs made of the resilient metal that Andromedans could not break, and heavily guarded. He snarled at the guards for a few minutes, trying to intimidate them into doing something stupid. When he received no reaction, Radu sat down in the far corner of his cell and said nothing. He had been thoroughly searched before being locked up and the UPP officers had removed all of his weapons. Radu found he had nothing left to do but contemplate the dishonesty of the UPP Admiral as he stared at the floor.

The soldiers suddenly snapped to attention and Radu raised his eyes to see who was coming. A small Mercurian stood at the cell door, looking into the cell with a sat expression on her face. Radu's face twisted into a bitter half-smile. 

"Radu?" the Mercurian said hesitantly.

"Well, well, well," Radu said, rising to his feet. The guards around the visitor leveled their guns at the prisoner. "Long time, no see, Rosie."

Rosie looked her former friend up and down in shock and disgust. She held up a medical kit.

"I'm here to make sure you're okay," she told him.

Radu took a step back from the force field that kept him in his cell. The field flashed for a split second before disappearing. Rosie and five guards came in, each of the guards keeping a gun pointed at Radu. The field snapped back to life, locking all seven of them inside. Rosie opened her kit and turned to Radu.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Everywhere," Radu replied. "Quite a life, being a pirate. No wonder Reaver enjoyed himself so much."

Rosie glared at him with hatred in her eyes. "Never compare yourself to Reaver. He was a horrible man and deserved what he got."

Radu rolled his eyes as Rosie referred to the capture of the infamous space pirate Reaver and his first mate, Ubi. They had been executed together in the first and last public hanging in UPP history. The act had been criticized as barbaric, but the majority of UPP citizens had been in favour of their deaths. 

"Why am I here? Is saving the Admiral warrant for arrest now?" Radu asked.

"You're here," Rosie said as she examined Radu's ears, "because you are wanted in three star systems. The UPP can't let a dangerous criminal escape because he used to be friends with the Admiral."

Radu was hurt by the term used to be', but hid his pain from Rosie. He was DogStar now, and didn't need friends. Rosie completed her check up and packed up her kit. Radu remained where he was, watching her but not moving. The force field opened to allow Rosie and the guards to leave. As she stepped free of the cell, Radu called to her.

"Rosie?"

The Mercurian turned to him.

"Heard you got married. Congratulations."

Rosie smiled. "I hope you get to meet our daughter someday."

Radu didn't answer, but turned his back to Rosie. She sighed and left the detention area.

**********

Gyana teleported herself into the bridge of the _Chance_ where Harlan and Rosie stood. Suzee and Catalina's faces appeared on a split screen, waiting to hear the Guardian's report. After they had been rescued from the moon where Radu had left them, Rosie had explained that Gyana had used all her energy to teleport them from their doomed fighters to the closest non-hostile ship – Radu.

"Well?" Harlan asked impatiently.

"The aliens have landed on the Spung Homeworld," Gyana replied. "I have heard nothing from inside the city, but I do not doubt that they already control the palace."

Harlan swore and punched one hand into the other.

"What about our fighters?" Suzee asked.

"Those who have not been destroyed have returned to their ships. I have assisted several with minor damages, but all the ships you have now are the ones who survived," Gyana replied.

Suzee's eyes widened. "That's it?"

"I am afraid so."

Suzee joined Harlan's cursing. 

"We lost over half our fighters in one fight," Cat said. "We should call Bova for reinforcements."

"Not until we know more about the invaders," Harlan said. "I've got Radu and he should be able to tell us about the people who hired him."

"But will he? He's changed," Cat said sadly.

"I think he will," Harlan replied. "He was friends with us, once, and you know that loyalty is an Andromedan's greatest strength."

**********

Radu sat in his cell, staring up at the Admiral of the UPP. Harlan Band returned the stare easily, his face betraying no emotion over sentencing his former best friend.

"You are charged with treason, murder, smuggling, and theft," Harlan repeated for a third time. He had been there for hours, but Radu refused to speak. "Two of these crimes are punishable by death, the others get you life in jail. We are willing to be lenient if you provide information that can end this war."

Radu narrowed his eyes and turned his head to face the wall. Behind him, Catalina sighed. Harlan turned to see the Saturnian sitting on the floor in frustration, with Suzee standing next to her and Rosie nervously fingering a medical kit. 

"Can't I just get the answers from him?" Suzee asked. "I know it's wrong and I hate to do it, but while we're staring at each other, hundreds of Spung are dying."

Radu turned to face her. "Good."

Harlan laughed bitterly. "Radu, you of all people should be tolerant toward the Spung. Remember Elmira?"

"Yes," Radu spat. "She is like all the other Spung. Lying, cheating killers."

"At least we know why he's fighting with the invaders," Rosie remarked, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Who are the alien invaders?" Harlan shouted.

Radu winced as his sensitive hearing was bombarded by Harlan's voice. "That's for you to find out. I have no ties of loyalty to you."

Harlan's body sagged in defeat. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He motioned over his shoulder to something just outside of Radu's vision.

"I hate to do this, buddy," Harlan said with genuine regret, "but the UPP comes first and if this is the only way to get you to talk, then this is how it has to be."

Harlan left the cell and led Rosie away before she had a chance to see what was coming. Suzee did the same to Catalina and Radu watched them go. He had heard the machine powering up minutes earlier, but had no idea what it was. Now, as it rounded the corner, Radu could see needles protruding from a large machine, and he realized that he was about to be injected with truth-serum, a drug that would make him unable to lie. Radu steeled himself, preparing for the worst, and wondered how he could make his escape.

**********

Harlan sat alone in his quarters, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. It had been difficult for him to sign the order of interrogation, but he had to keep his priorities. The UPP came first, the ties of former best friends came second. Still, he had decided not to be present at the actual event, but to let his second-in-command ask the questions. He would read the report later.

Seeing Radu again had made him think back to all the times they had spent on the Christa, over twenty years ago. Harlan found himself reminiscing often these last few days, finding amusement in the story of five smart aleck cadets who snuck onto an alien vessel and became lost in space. He remembered his brash youth and how Radu had been a calming presence in his life. He remembered their adventures in space, battling Spung, exploring planets, listening to boring lectures . . . 

Harlan sighed. Everything was different now. Both Ms. Davenport and Commander Goddard were long dead, Catalina lived in another dimension, Suzee never stayed in one place long enough to settle down, Rosie and Bova were married, and he was in charge of the entire UPP.

"I wish life was simple again," he said to himself.

"You and me both," Catalina replied.

Startled, Harlan turned and wiped his eyes. Catalina's face was red and puffy from crying as she handed Harlan a compupad.

"The results from Ra – uh, DogStar's interrogation, sir," she said. "I believe your First Officer did a thorough job."

Harlan took the compupad and nodded. Catalina looked at him for a second longer before leaving. As the door slid closed behind her, Harlan leaned back in his chair and began to read the report. A few lines into it, something caught his eyes. He straightened himself and pushed the comm. button on his desk.

"Cat? Come here, please."

The door opened. "You didn't let me get very far, you know."

"What's this about voluntary confession?"

Cat walked over and read the sentence over Harlan's shoulder. "He refused the truth serum and told us everything. He wasn't very happy about it, but we got what we needed."

"Radu? Afraid?" Harlan questioned.

"Not afraid," Cat said. "I guess he decided to get his loyalties straight. You know mercenaries, always jumping sides."

Harlan smiled and read the rest of the report. Cat waited until Harlan raised his head to look at her. "Let's go see if he's interested in working for the UPP for a while," he suggested.

**********

Radu was unbound in his cell, waiting. Catalina, Gyana, and Harlan entered the detention area and motioned for the six guards to leave. When they were alone, Harlan stood in front of the cell and stared at his friend in the eyes.

"Why the cooperation all of a sudden?" Harlan asked.

Radu shrugged. "I don't want to fight the UPP. They've done nothing to me. I was trying to back out before, but the Kaesar threatened to destroy me if I did. Now, all I want is to be paid."

"You told us the Kaesar are attacking Spung settlements, but you didn't tell us why. What do they want?"

Radu shrugged. "Why would they tell me that? I'm just a hired gun. Can I go now?"

"Not yet," Harlan said. "Why not change sides and work for the UPP?"

"How much?" Radu asked.

"Double what the Kaesar offered," Harlan replied, "and a full pardon from crimes committed against the UPP."

Radu pretended to think about it. "Deal. When do we start shooting?"

Harlan smiled and turned to Catalina and Gyana, who were waiting by the far wall near the door.

"Andromedan! They're all crazy!" Harlan muttered under his breath as he faced Cat and Gyana.

"I heard that," Radu said.

Harlan lowered his voice even more. "How could you not with those ears?"

Harlan turned and saw Radu smiling at him. The Admiral was reminded of his friend in that smile, as if the persona of DogStar was completely erased.

"I heard that, too," Radu said. "Will you let me out now?"

**********

Suni hid in a hollowed out building. Despite the fact that the city was theirs, the invading aliens seemed to have a need to destroy everything in sight. Buildings were being used for target practice, and citizens who had not yet escaped had become pawns in cruel games. Suni dodged another patrol and made her way slowly to the palace. She knew that Elmira had not escaped, and she saw herself as the Empress' only hope. 

The invaders were an ugly race, in her opinion. They were lizard-like, not unlike the Spung, only their skin was an ashen gray, spotted with browns and blacks. They had many small, pointed horns coming from the top of their heads and their eyes were all dark and beady. Their faces were elongated into a snout, with two tiny nostrils on the end and a large mouth underneath. They walked upright, carrying blasters in their spindly hands. They had no tail, but had a ridge of boney plates going down their spines, creating a fan like effect. Suni doubted they could see behind themselves very well. 

Suni stuck her head out from behind the destroyed wall and checked for patrols. When she saw none, she dashed out from her safe hiding spot and into the open streets. As she saw another patrol heading her way, she dove behind an overturned carriage and landed on a person already hiding there. She scrambled out of the person's lap and turned, readying herself to attack if necessary. When her brain finally registered who the person was, she had to clamp her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. The patrol passed without incident and Suni found herself face to face with a Kaesar.

She pointed at him, electricity snapping from her outstretched finger. His eyes widened in alarm and he scurried backwards into the corner, trying to lose himself in the brick.

"Please, stop, please," he stammered in the Spung dialect.

"Why are you hiding here?" Suni demanded, keeping her voice down. "If you call any other alien, I'll fry you to a crisp."

The Kaesar held up his hand in surrender, his eyes never leaving the sparking finger that was pointed at his snout. 

"Not Kaesar," he said, fear making his speech broken. "Leave them behind. Please, stop, friend."

Suni lowered her finger and the little alien visibly relaxed. She guessed he was one of their young, since his horns were tiny stubs and he didn't have back plates. She sat back and the alien began to fiddle with a nearby rock.

"Your name is Kaesar?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, Kaesar is my race. My name is Spek."

"How did you learn to speak Spung?"

"Computer has many languages. Can also speak Basic, Kaesar, and – "

Suni waved her hand to cut him off. "Why did you leave the Kaesar, Spek?"

"Fighting bad. I like peace. Spung are nice, too. I spoke with some on the ship. Nice peoples. You are not Spung, what are you?"

"Mercurian," Suni replied, "and Uranusian. My name is Suni Ianni."

"Nice to meet, Ianni," Spek said. "You take me somewhere safe?"

"Not now," Suni said. "First, I have to rescue the Empress from the palace, then we'll head to the UPP flagship. I think they'd like to talk with you."

Spek clapped his hands excitedly. "Spek held stop fighting? Bring peace?"

Suni nodded. "But first, we have to get to the palace."

**********

Radu walked around his quarters. Two guards were posted just outside the door as a precaution, but Radu was free to roam the ship otherwise. His quarters were spacious and clean, with new clothes and food waiting for him. He ate well and sat back to listen to the ship.

What caught his attention almost immediately was the sound of his own voice. It was younger, but it was him. Radu tuned out the rest of the ship to focus on the conversation.

"The Commander was fixing the airlock," a young Radu was saying.

"And those two flushed him out," Harlan added. His voice was equally young and Radu smiled in memory.

"It was an accident!" young Catalina said defensively.

There was a brief pause in the conversation.

"For Heaven's sakes," Ms Davenport's voice cried. "Do something!"

"We're trying," Radu said.

"We've got a tractor beam on him," Harlan said.

"But we're not sure how it works," Radu added.

"And Suzee says if we're not careful," Catalina finished, "we might accidentally rip the Commander into shreds."

"You have got to get him back into this ship!" Ms Davenport ordered.

"Okay, Ms D," Harlan said. "If you say so."

Radu heard the sound of the control crystals of the Christa being pushed down and a faint boom. A small whimper from Ms. Davenport was heard, and the sound of jumptubes in the background.

"What's all the commotion?" Commander Goddard demanded.

Radu heard Ms. Davenport scream and could almost see Harlan's cheeky smile as he remembered this scene from his youth.

"A computer simulation of you, blowing up in space!" Harlan laughed.

Young Radu and young Catalina's laughter was added to the mix before the entire recording was shut off. Radu heard a sigh and realized it was Catalina who had been listening. Rising to his feet, Radu left his room, flanked by the two guards, to see if Catalina was all right.

**********

The door signaled the approach of a visitor. Catalina turned her head and ordered the door to open. She was shocked and surprised to see Radu standing there, looking ashamed of himself. 

He had washed and brushed his head, pulling it back in a long braid down his back. His worn black clothes that he had worn before were gone and he wore a gray jumpsuit-style uniform devoid of markings. As Catalina looked at him, she saw the Radu she had once known, except for the cruel scar that ran down his face. He cleared his throat and Cat motioned for him to come in. The two guards followed.

"Wait outside," Cat told them.

"But, Ambassador," one protested, "the Admiral told us not to leave anyone alone with the prisoner."

"He's not a prisoner," Cat said. "If he wanted to, he could have killed you both hours ago and fled in his ship. If he attacks me, I'll give him a sonic blast. It may not be as powerful as it was when I was younger, but it should be enough to knock an Andromedan down. Dismissed!"

The two guards saluted and left the room. As the door slid shut, Cat motioned for Radu to sit down.

"I heard you playing the logs from the Christa," Radu said quietly.

Cat nodded. "Those were some fun times," she said. "Too bad they had to end."

Radu said nothing. Cat looked at him for a few seconds before rising to her feet.

"Do you want something to drink? I brought some teas from Yensid with me. They're very relaxing," she offered.

"No, thank you," Radu replied.

"I'm glad you've dropped the DogStar personality, Radu," Cat said as she poured her tea. "I like you better when you're nice."

"I haven't dropped anything," Radu said defensively. "I'm just changing loyalties."

"Or reuniting old ones," Cat added. "When I first saw you in that ship, you scared me, Radu. You haven't scared me since the time you were hunting us on that moon, or when you were sick on the Christa. I want to know what's wrong with you? What made you change?"

"You wouldn't understand," Radu said, turning away.

Catalina leaned forward and put her hand on his kneed. "Try me. I can understand a lot."

Radu stood, jerking her leg away from Cat's gentle touch. He licked his lips and paced in front of her.

"You want to know what's wrong with me? I'll tell you. I misjudged her. I trusted her. I loved her, and what did I get back? Nothing. She turned her back on me, pushed me away. She always said it was meant to be, but when it could have been, she turned away. I was angry, angry at her, at you, at my family, at everyone. My life had spun out of control and I didn't like that feeling. Everyone was pushing me in different directions, telling me where to go, what to do, my duties as the first Andromedan StarDog. I got scared and left. I turned my back on everything that was important to me, and took off."

Catalina watched her friend without saying anything. Radu sat down again and sighed. He buried his face in his hands.

"Now that you're back, do you think you can get your life back in control? Could you come back to us?" Cat asked.

"I don't know. In twenty years, I've gotten a reputation as a space pirate and a smuggler. There's a warrant for my arrest in six systems who've never even heard of the UPP, and three who have. I don't think I can go back."

"So you're giving up?" Cat asked. "You're sticking to your DogStar life without even trying to come home?"

Radu shrugged. "Maybe if I go to another dimension and start anew."

"Maybe if you erased DogStar from your personality, you could start anew here."

Radu stared at Catalina and she saw his face harden. With an inward sigh, the Saturnian wondered if she had been to harsh. After twenty years, she didn't want him to vanish again.

"Maybe you're right," Radu said at last. "But what about - ?"

"Elmira?" Cat said. "There's nothing you can do, but maybe this will help you. She made a deal with Lord Kairn, you knew that. Part of the deal was that he become Warlord. It was the only condition he would not give up. I don't know much about Spung law, but there's something in there that says only the Emperor can be Warlord or, in this case, the husband of the Empress. She had to marry him, Radu. It wasn't because she wanted to."

Radu nodded grimly, his face unreadable. He rose to his feet, said a quick good night, and left the room. Catalina sat back, watching the door close, and hoped he would be all right.

**********

Spek motioned for Suni to come forward. They had made it out of the poor area and were just outside the walls that led to the houses of the aristocracy and the palace itself. Unfortunately, the Kaesar had also discovered the wall and had posted guard everywhere to keep people from getting in or out. The wall had been damaged in the recent bombardment from the orbiting Kaesar ships and Spek had just discovered a hole large enough for them to sneak through.

They crouched behind some fallen rubble on the other side of the wall. Between them and the palace was a large, empty field that used to serve as a parade ground for Spung warriors. The Kaesar had converted it into a camp, where hundreds of soldiers lounged as they waited for further orders.

"Now what?" Suni sighed.

Spek rose to his feet and grabbed Suni by the hand. Without offering a word of explanation, he dragged her out from their cover and into the campsite. Suni looked around in fear as the little Kaesar half lead, half dragged her across the open field. An angry call suddenly sounded behind them and Spek froze in place. A large Kaesar dressed in armour and holding a blaster walked up to him and began to question him. Spek spoke quickly, gesturing with his free hand while his other hand held Suni tightly. The larger Kaesar seemed to accept Spek's hasty explanation and waved them past. Spek walked more quickly now and in a few minutes they were safely hidden in the hollowed out homes of the Spung nobles.

"What was that about?" Suni whispered as Spek looked for patrols.

"He wanted to know where we were going, so I told him," Spek said. "He thought you were my prisoner and I said we were going to the dungeons of the palace, which is where we'll probably end up."

Suni smiled. "Don't worry. Once we get the Empress, it'll be smooth sailing to my mother's ship. We'll be safe."

Spek didn't seem reassured by Suni's optimism, but followed anyway.

The houses of the Spung nobility were empty and silent as Suni and Spek tiptoed past. The patrols here were almost non-existent since anyone who entered would have had to pass the wall. In no time, they reached the interior of the city – the Imperial Palace. It was guarded heavily by Kaesar troops and Suni found she had to once again play the part of a prisoner as Spek led them through. Once inside, Suni again resumed the lead.

"The throne room is in here," she whispered as they crouched outside the massive, ornate doors.

They swung open without a sound as a group of three Kaesar soldiers walked out. Before the doors could swing shut again, Suni grabbed Spek's hand and ran into the room. They ducked behind a large column and surveyed the scene.

Elmira sat on her throne, dressed in her royal robes and crown. She stared at a large Kaesar who seemed to be in control of all the guards. Suni counted quickly and saw only five other Kaesar in the room. Spek tugged at her sleeve.

"That's Jesek, the Commander of the Kaesar fleet," Spek whispered. "He is like our king."

Suni nodded. "This may be more difficult than I thought."

Jesek started speaking rapidly to the Kaesar in the room. Before Suni could ask, Spek started translating.

"He is saying that victory is ours. Now that we have the Queen as well as the planet, there is no way the infidels can win."

"That's what he thinks," Suni grumbled under her breath.

"Do you have a plan, Ianni?" Spek asked.

Suni didn't reply, but focused all her attention on the Kaesar Commander. Jesek was laughing as he turned to Elmira.

"I will see you at dinner, Spung-Queen," he said with a stiff bow.

Elmira narrowed her eyes and said nothing. Jesek turned and left the room. Suni smiled to herself. 

"Now's our chance," she said. "There are only five guards left. I can take out two of them with my electricity and another in hand-to-hand combat."

"I will disarm the other two," Spek said nervously. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle two Kaesar in combat?"

Suni flashed him a confident smile. "My uncle taught me everything he knows about martial arts. I'm practically a black belt."

"I don't know what that means," Spek admitted, "but good luck."

Suni jumped out from behind the column and pointed to the two guards closest to Elmira. Thick bolts of electricity sped from her fingers, striking each of them in the chest and knocking them down. The other three guards looked at each other in alarm and charged at the girl. The first to reach her struck with an overhand punch that Suni easily dodged. She kicked the lizard-like alien hard in the stomach and heard him grunt in pain. The Kaesar struck again, turning quickly to slap his opponent with his hard back plates. Suni was unprepared for the move and fell as the boney ridges struck her in the side. The guard lashed out with his blaster, hitting her in the right arm. Jumping up, she spun in mid air to deliver another kick to his head, this time pushing him to the floor. The Kaesar lay still for a second, just long enough for Suni to bend down and grab his gun. She didn't hesitate to fire.

Spek fought at the other side of the room. The two guards aimed their blasters at him, intending to strike him down instead of fighting. As two bolts were fired, Spek stuck his hand straight out in front of him and opened his arms wide, sweeping the bolts away. They struck the walls harmlessly. Without moving, Spek reached out to one of the Kaesar and the guard lifted off his feet, hanging in mid air. Spek raised his arm and the guard flew higher while his companion stood and stared in shock. Making a throwing motion with his upraised arm, Spek threw the Kaesar guard into his friend, sending both flying across the floor and into one of the columns that held up the ceiling. Both guards were knocked unconscious.

Elmira stood up in surprise as Suni ran towards her, a blaster in her left hand and her right arm dangling uselessly beside her. 

"Come on," Suni said. "There's no time to lose."

Elmira said nothing but followed the Mercurian and the small Kaesar through the hidden passages behind Elmira's throne. After a few minutes Suni slowed, gasping for breath. She leaned against the cool stone wall of the tunnel.

"My ship is not far," Elmira said. "You can make it."

Suni raised her eyes and smiled. Spek reached out just in time to grab her as she toppled forward.

"She was struck by his plates," Spek said. "No doubt she had broken several bones inside of her."

"Can you carry her?" Elmira asked. Spek nodded. "Good," Elmira said. "Follow me."

Elmira's personal spacecraft was hidden inside the Imperial Palace for just such an emergency. Long ago, one of the Spung Emperors had foreseen a situation that would require the ruler to make a quick escape and had hidden the ship. It had never been used, but was regularly maintained. Elmira keyed in the access code and the door slid open, revealing the small craft. 

"Quickly, put her in," Elmira said. 

Spek did as he was told as Elmira began to power up her ship. She had designed this ship herself during her first year as Empress. It was equipped with several things that earlier models did not have. Spek buckled himself into his seat after securing Suni, and Elmira lifted off.

"Will the Kaesar not see us?" Spek asked.

"No," Elmira replied. "I have added a special feature to this ship. Nothing will be able to see us."

The Empress of the Spung pushed several buttons and the ship disappeared. It became invisible not only to radar and sensors, but to the naked eye as well.

"We call this the chameleon feature," Elmira said. "Our scientists have only just finished it and this is the only ship it is on. We will be safe."

For the first time since he was forced to join the army, Spek sat back and relaxed.

**********

Radu sat in his ship, repairing the damage he had received in the fight against the Spung. His original plan had been to make his ship flyable and limp to a nearby star system to complete his repairs. His rendezvous with the UPP flagship had forced him to alter that plan.

He ran his fingers over the controls, a part of him wanting to blast into space again. He was forced to admit he felt better after talking to Catalina, but he still dreaded seeing Elmira again. With a sigh, Radu slid to the floor and pushed himself under the control panel. He had never been good at engineering in school, but necessity had made him learn how to repair and maintain his ship.

A miscrossed wire sent a jolt of electricity through his arm, burning a hold in his gloves. Radu sat up quickly, knocked his head on the control panel, and saw spots. He blinked to clear his swimming vision and looked at his hand. The skin was burned and painful, causing Radu to wince. He rose unsteadily to his feet and left his ship for the medlab, cradling his injured hand.

The medlab was nearby the docking bay and Radu made it as his vision began to swim again. His arm throbbed with pain and he could no longer feel his hand. The doors slid open in front of him and he was greeted with a flurry of movement as doctors and nurses busied themselves. One saw him by the door and motioned for the Chief Medical Officer to come. Radu felt his knees beginning to buckle and was grabbed as he fell.

"Put him here," Rosie said. 

Still conscious, Radu watched as the two crewmembers who had caught him gently placed him on a soft bed. 

"What happened to you?" Rosie asked as she examined the cut on his forehead.

"Small accident," Radu replied. He found his voice sounded hoarse as he spoke. "I was fixing my ship."

Rosie smiled at him. "Engineering has never been your strong suit, has it? Don't worry about your hand, we can fix any nerve damage. You probably have a headache by now. I'm afraid all I can do for that is let you sleep it off."

Radu returned his friends smile. "Thanks, Rosie."

The Mercurian nodded and gently lifted his head. A sweet, thick liquid was poured down his throat and Radu drifted to sleep.

**********

When Radu woke, he found himself in his quarters. His injured hand was bandaged and he was surprised to discover it no longer hurt. He still felt a dull ache in his head, but Rosie had assured him before that all he had to do was sleep it off. Gingerly, he touched his forehead and found the cut had been closed and healed. 

The door to his room slid open and Rosie came in, carrying a medical kit. Radu sat up in his bed as she entered.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better," Radu answered. "My head still hurts, but I guess that's to be expected."

Rosie nodded and shoved a thermometer in Radu's mouth. Radu blinked in surprise, but said nothing as Rosie patiently waited for his temperature to register. 

"Hmmm" Rosie said, looking at the thermometer. "Forty-seven Celsius. That sounds about right." She put the instrument away and looked at him. "I want to talk to you."

Radu said nothing. Rosie bit her lower lip and lowered her eyes to her lap.

"You've missed so much," she began. "You've changed so much. I see the Radu I know in you, but I also see the DogStar you've become. I've missed you and I still miss you."

Radu licked his lips. "Everyone changes," he said.

"You were my best friend," Rosie continued. "You were the only person I wanted at my wedding, the only person who wasn't there. I wanted you to be there to meet my daughter when she was born. I wanted her to know you as I did. I wanted us to be together, not you off in the galaxy somewhere and me wondering everyday whether you were alive or dead. You deserted me and everyone else."

"I had to," Radu replied. "I'm not going to apologize for what I did. Life isn't always happy; it's not always what we want."

"It is if you work for it. You didn't even try."

Radu opened his mouth to say something, but fell silent. He knew that she was right. 

"I did what I thought was right. I've lived with the consequences. There's nothing you can say that will make me regret my life."

There was an uneasy silence in the room for a few minutes. Rosie stood and stared at her friend.

"Her name is Suni," Rosie said at last.

"Who?"

"My daughter. Her name is Suni and she's eighteen years old. Bova and I were married right after graduation and had Suni a year later."  
"I can't wait to meet her," Radu said.

"She's on the Spung Homeworld, the UPP Ambassador to the Spung. I don't know if she's okay."

Tears streamed down Rosie's cheeks and Radu was torn. He wanted to hold her until she stopped crying, but too much had changed to make him reach out. Rosie wiped her eyes and picked up her kit. 

"A few more hours of sleep should cure your headache. I'll see you later," Rosie said.

She turned and left the room. Radu sighed and wondered who else would come and demand that he justified his life. 

**********

Suni could see herself from where she stood. She lay on the small bed in Elmira's ship, with Spek beside her as the Empress hailed the UPP flagship. She could no longer feel the pain of her broken ribs and internal bleeding, or the numbness of the arm that had been shot. She felt relaxed and peaceful as she floated above the chaos.

She blinked, and as she did time shifted. She was no longer on Elmira's ship, but was in the medlab of the _Chance_, under the care of her mother. She watched the medics hurry to save her life.

"Quite a show, isn't it?"

Suni turned and saw another ethereal form beside her. He was Mercurian, and appeared to be the same age as her. His blue eyes stood out from his pale pink skin and Suni found she could see through him.

"I remember watching my own death," he continued. "Your mother was there, along with your uncle Harlan, aunt Catalina, and Radu. It was terrible for her."

"Who are you?" Suni asked.

The ghost smiled at her. "My name was Mattar, back when I lived."

Suni turned her attention back to where her mother fought to save her. "Am I dead?"

"Not yet," Mattar said. "I don't want to alarm you, but you may be soon. That fight you had was pretty intense."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to bring you to the other world, should you die. If you live, I'm here to protect and guide you. I'm sure you've heard me before, that little voice that helps you made decisions."

"My Aunt Catalina tells me about Saturnian Guarding Spirits sometime," Suni said. "Are you one of them?"

Mattar shrugged. "If that's what you want to call me."

Suni turned her back to the scene below her.

"Don't you want to watch?" Mattar asked.

"Tell me how you died," Suni said.

"Well," Mattar began, "it was a long time ago. The Spung had invaded Starcademy and were holding all the cadets hostage, myself included. Your mother and all her friends were planning to overthrow the Spung."

Suni felt herself being drawn away from the ghost. Mattar smiled and watched as Suni was pulled down to her body. She looked back to Mattar in alarm, only to find him slowly disappearing, waving goodbye. There was a final pull and Suni's eyes snapped open.

**********

Harlan, Catalina, Suzee, and Elmira spoke at length with the little Kaesar, Spek. They locked themselves in Harlan's small office and learned everything they could about the Kaesar. According to Spek, the invasion began because Jesek came into command of the Kaesar. He decided to reclaim the ancient land of the Kaesar, which included almost every planet the Spung had seized during the past millennia. Jesek mobilized his fleet and began to attack with the intention of wiping out the Spung and liberating the planets back into the Kaesar. 

"Didn't Jesek realize that any Kaesar that had inhabited these planets were long dead?" Suzee asked.

Spek shook his head. "I suppose not." He spoke in Basic so they would all understand.

"Do you think we can negotiate with him?" Catalina asked.

"No," Spek answered. "Kaesar are stubborn and now that he has the Spung Homeworld, he will not surrender."

"What can we do?" Suzee sighed.

"We must fight," Elmira said. "I must free my Homeworld and my people. We must chase them back to wherever they came from."

"Where did you come from?" Harlan questioned.

"Through a big white hole," Spek answered. "Jesek said it would lead us to our ancestral home. It brought us here."

Harlan sat back in his chair. "So this isn't even the right system. The Spung have always been here."

"This is not our home?" Spek asked.

Catalina shook her head. "The White Circle brought you to a random part of the galaxy. It had no way of knowing where your ancestral home is."

Spek seemed depressed. "We must tell Jesek," he said. "The Kaesar are noble and do not want to reclaim something we have no claim on."

"But how do we prove that this is not Kaesar land?" Suzee said. "I think this Jesek will want proof."

"Legend says that the ancestral home makes an image of our greatest leader when see from space," Spek said. He left his seat and ran to the small window that revealed the planet where the floating Spung Homeworld was situated. "I don't see him."

"That should be proof," Cat said enthusiastically.

Spek nodded and Harlan led the way from his office. He ordered his crew to hail the Kaesar ship. As the face of an angry Kaesar soldier appeared, Harlan pushed Spek forward so he could explain.

Spek began to speak rapidly in the Kaesar dialect. Harlan and the others stood behind him, hoping that this plan would work. Spek gestured to the planet and to the image of the Kaesar. The soldier blinked a few times and cut the transmission. Spek turned back to his friends.

"I believe that they will withdraw," Spek said. "Jesek apologizes for the invasion. He believed himself to be a liberator fighting against invaders. You can understand."

Elmira said nothing, but Harlan came forward. "As long as we never see them in this part of space again, we can forgive."

"But we'll never forget," Elmira added.

Spek bowed respectfully. "I understand. I have one favour to ask. May I stay with your UPP? I have no place among the Kaesar."

Harlan smiled. "Of course. We'll put you in the Starcademy when we return to the SOL system."

Spek bowed again and grinned happily. On the view screen, the massive Kaesar ships began to depart.

"That seemed too easy," Suzee remarked. "Why give up all that they have taken because they were mistaken?"

"It is not our way to be aggressors," Spek replied. "I know that we have come off that way to you, but we are really a peaceful nation. No doubt Jesek will be removed from office upon returning home and a new king will be elected."

The last of the Kaesar warships blasted into hyperspace and Harlan turned to Spek.

"Welcome to the UPP."

**********

Radu paced in his room. After learning that Elmira was on board, he refused to leave his quarters. He did not want to see her again. 

Now that the Kaesar threat was over, Radu decided to return to his ship and sail the stars again. This time, he amended, he would return to visit his friends. Perhaps he would dimension travel with Suzee for a while. There was an infinite number of possibilities now that he was absolved of his crimes.

The door chime rang and Radu called for the person to enter. He regretted the decision as soon as he saw Elmira standing in the doorway.

"Your Majesty," he said stiffly.

"Radu," Elmira replied. "What happened to us?"

"There is no us," Radu said shortly. "You married Kairn, didn't tell me, and I left. You broke my heart."

"I'm sorry," Elmira apologized, "but I had no choice. It was part of the arrangement I made to secure my throne. Everything is different now."

"Why is that?"

"Kairn is dead," Elmira said. "His ship was destroyed in the fight against the Kaesar. I didn't love him, but I respected him. He will be missed."

"I'd be lying if I told you I was sorry," Radu said harshly.

Elmira sat down and Radu glared at her from where he stood. "We need to work this out, Radu. Can't you trust me?"

"Never again," Radu replied. 

"Our destiny is to be together," Elmira pleaded. "Remember on the Christa?"

"An act," Radu dismissed the prediction. "There is nothing left to say."

Elmira rose to her feet and walked to where Radu stood. He didn't move, but looked distinctly uncomfortable as he approached. 

"I didn't love Kairn," Elmira said. "I love you. If you had stayed, I would have kept you as my Lord Protector and we would have been together. Kairn didn't care what I did. I never once shared his bed, nor did he ask me to. It was a business relationship for the past twenty years and I'm lonely."

Radu looked down into her eyes and saw that she spoke true. He closed his own eyes and sighed.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"Come to the Spung Homeworld with me," Elmira said. "Help us rebuild and maybe you could become the next Spung Warlord."

Radu looked away from her. "I don't know if I can."

"Please try," Elmira begged. "It's all I ask."

Radu licked his lips and nodded. Elmira hugged him, but he didn't return the embrace. She thanked him and left the room.

**********

Suni sat in one of the beds in the medlab. Her ribs were bandaged and she was slowly getting feeling in her right arm. Her mother had told her she had lost a lot of blood and it was a miracle she survived at all. Suni said it was no miracle, but a good doctor.

Rosie walked into the medlab to prepare for the evening shift. She had taken the night shift every day since Suni had been brought in to stay close to her daughter. 

"Mom?" Suni asked.

Rosie came over. "Yes, honey?"

"What happened to Mattar?" 

Rosie was taken aback. "How did you hear about him."

"He told me, when I was dying, he came to me and helped me through it. He's my Guarding Spirit, like Aunt Catalina always says."

Rosie pulled up a chair and sat next to her daughter's bed. "Mattar was a dear friend of mine," she said. "We met him and Clito after we had gotten home from our adventures on the Christa. He died saving me from Warlord Shett."

The door slid open and a silhouetted form stood hesitantly in the doorway. Rosie motioned for the person to enter and he did. Suni saw it was the Andromedan her mother spoke about so often.

"Suni, this is Radu," Rosie said simply.

Radu bowed his head and smiled. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise."

"I was just telling her about Mattar," Rosie said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Like the time he and Bova almost killed each other?" Radu said.

Suni sat up straighter. "He almost killed Dad?"  
Rosie laughed. 

"This is what happened," Radu said.

The trio spoke well into the night, reliving old memories and new ones, content to be where they were. Outside, the dark stars twinkled like they had twenty years ago, when a group of misfit kids snuck on board an alien ship.


End file.
